The Headmaster's office

Escorting Daphne to the library and kissing her on the cheek, much to her embarrassment, Ares followed her directions to the Headmaster's office. Taking her advice and asking the portraits for directions when he missed a few corridors, he slowly trekked his way up the stairs towards the Headmaster's Tower which contained the office and other administrative rooms.

As he walked through the ancient corridors of Hogwarts, Ares wondered if he should have even bothered showing up here because of a law passed by a bunch of morons who wouldn't know which end of the wand to hold.

While King's Cross station was nice, it was not marvellous, compared to the sights he had seen. The Castle of Vlad Dracul III. Imhotep's Maze of Shadows. And the dozens of wonders he had seen all over the world.

And the people of Britain were even worse than the Magisterium of China. While the Magisterium held an iron grip on its subjects, it allowed, and even encouraged, research on various branches of magic. On the other hand, Britain was stagnating at the technology level of the late 1700's; and had a nasty streak of declaring unknown magic as Dark magic.

While he had agreed to Sirius and Daphne's request to study here, Ares knew the school had nearly nothing to offer him. The seventh year material was several levels below the ICW standard and, based on the opinions of former students, magical research was actively discouraged.

Ares groaned at his thoughts as he walked up the stairs leading to the Tower, wondering how many obstacles the universe wished to throw in his path. At least, he had established a certain…reputation with the population of Hogwarts when he had neutered Malfoy and effectively demonstrated his power over the gryffindor's pitiful efforts to intimidate him.

As he took the last turn that led to the office, Ares wondered if Dumbledore would try and accuse him of attempted mur- No. That wasn't his style. According to Sirius, the old man would rather forgive transgressions than allow people to be punished, no matter how vile they were. Ares wondered, not for the first time, how Voldemort had not won the war against an ineffective ministry and a secret order that stunned perpetrators rather than killing them.

Finally arriving at the gargoyle statue that stood guard at the entrance to the Headmaster's office, Ares shook himself out of his thoughts. Looking at the statue, he wondered if students could actually approach the Headmaster with a problem when his office was locked behind a password that was known only to a select few. Daphne had bluntly informed him that she did not know the password. Mentally sighing, he went through a list of possible actions. Deciding that a straightforward approach would work, he looked straight at the statue and said "The headmaster has asked me to see him. Can you just let me pass?"

The gargoyle uttered a guttural groan and said "Feel Free." The statue moved aside as a set of stairs wound around it towards the ceiling. Ares stepped onto them as they were moving and found himself standing in front of a normal looking wooden door. Sometimes, I wish magical travel wasn't so disorienting.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Ares moved forward and stretched his right hand towards the door but a voice, old and full of knowledge, was heard through the door. "Come in, Harry."

Halting his actions, Ares stood outside the door, not willing to let the wily old man win. After a moment of silence, there was the sound of a sigh and the voice spoke again. "Come in, Mr. Black." A smirk floated on his lips as he walked into the office.

The office was of a half-circle design with stairs leading to the Headmaster's private quarters on the far end, opposite the door. The walls on the left and right was covered with several bookshelves filled with tomes, both new and ancient. A large window on the right overlooked the Black lake and mountains to the east. Several tables around the room held odd-looking artefacts of unknown make and function. A desk filled with parchment, quills, ink and other paraphernalia was located below the stairs. A perch on the desk was occupied by a large bird of red and gold with shining black eyes. A chair was placed a few feet away, facing the desk.

"Come in, Mr. Black and please have a seat." Dumbledore called out from his chair behind the desk. The Headmaaster wore a rather gaudy set of robes in pink. Ares was almost surprised to see the greasy-haired professor and Professor McGonagall standing beside the desk and facing him. Both the professors wore their uniform robes, Snape in black and McGonagall in green.

Seeing the two of them present beside the Headmaster, Ares realised that this was an enquiry regarding the incident in the Great Hall during breakfast, he relaxed his stance. He had entered the room, ready to face Dumbledore, and Dumbledore alone as he and Sirius knew that the old man would call Ares to his office to try and obtain as much information as possible.

Knowing the field had changed, Ares steeled himself and checked his Occlumency shields. While he was no expert at the mind arts, he wasn't an amateur either. Years of training had brought him to the level of a decent Fourth-level Occlumens, although his Legilimency was sub-par compared to his proficiency at defence. While a Fourth-level Occlumens at fifteen was no minor feat, it could not be compared to Masters of the mind arts, as Dumbledore and Lord Voldemort were rumoured to be. Albus Dumbledore was a seventh-level Occlumens and a Master Legilimens himself. Not that Albus Dumbledore would attack him right there… Legilimency was heavily frowned upon and application of such on a minor, without a guardian's consent, was grounds for a fine and a stay in Azkaban.

Ares walked up to the Headmaster's table and wished both him and the professors politely. McGonagall gave him a nod, while Snape produced an irritable jerk, as if he was forced to contend with a particularly troublesome enemy. To Ares' complete lack of surprise, Dumbledore displayed mannerisms similar to nobles.

Gesturing towards the chair, Dumbledore said "Please have a seat, Mr. Black."

I wonder if his dotty-old-man facade is a psychological technique to throw his opponents off! Acknowledging the request as the order it was, Ares took his seat and stared at the Headmaster in his twinkling blue eyes.

His palms crossed, Dumbledore stared at him with a sharp look, and asked "You have been called here so that we can understand the cause of your unruly behaviour in the Great Hall this morning."

"Unruly behaviour? Surely you exaggerate, Headmaster." Ares gave off an innocent look, a look he had perfected years ago. A benefit of living with a Marauder.

"Mr. Black, did you not morph into a lion and bodily pounce on Mr. Ron Weasley this morning, breaking his arms in the process?" Professor McGonagall asked, disapproval and anger radiating from her voice.

"Oh that?" Ares replied, imitating an expression of sudden enlightenment dawning on him. "Why yes, of course, I did. After all, one should uphold the Pureblood customs. Did I do something wrong?" He mock frowned in confusion.

Severus Snape sneered at Ares. "I shouldn't have expected anything else from a Potter." He snapped towards Ares. "You think you can fool around when you have committed a crime?"

Ares turned towards the professor, a confused look on his face. No wonder Pad said to watch him. He's a really bitter man. "Professor, I do not understand. Mr. Weasley insulted my family and me in public. Since it was his first offence against me, I let it pass. But, he continued to insult and belittle my family and my friends, for which I threatened him to back off or face the consequences."

"Your classmates have stated differently. They informed us that after comparing yourself with the Dark Lord-" Professor McGonagall began sternly, the anger palpable in her voice. "You morphed into a lion – I have yet to confirm if you hold an Animagus license from the Ministry - and then you attacked Mr. Weasley, breaking the bones in both his arms."

Ares looked at her, nearly surprised by her almost... hostile behaviour. On second thought, had he not expected this to happen? He had deliberately attacked in the manner he did to cause as much excitement and chaos at Hogwarts. Weasley was just the first casualty of his plan.

Wonder how she would react if I filled with her house dorm with snakes. "Very well. If that is to be regarded a crime, fine. I will, of course, subject myself to any kind of punishment you deem necessary, including publicly apologizing to Weasley for my... unruly behaviour." Ares replied finally, observing how Dumbledore's face had brightened into a smile.

"But," The Headmaster's smile drooped into a frown at Ares' words. "As soon as I complete said punishment, I will be reporting the matter to the DMLE and log the issue with the Wizengamot."

"The… issue?" the Headmaster pressed, wondering where the young boy was going with this.

"Why, a feud against his family of course." Ares rattled away, ignoring the looks of shock from the trio. "I cannot let him belittle and insult my family and let him away without repercussions. I will lodge a complaint against Mister Weasley for slander against the Noble and Ancient Houses of Potter and Black."

Dumbledore frowned. He had expected the boy to realise his guilt and apologise, an action that would allow him to improve his acquaintance with the child. But it seemed Sirius Black had trained him well in the ways of the Noble Houses. It was true that if Ares Black pressed a case against Ronald for slander, things could become extremely difficult for the Weasley family - the family was one of his most vocal supporters. Maybe a different tact could be used in this situation…?

"Mister Black," he began, "do you truly not realise the degree of your fault in this matter? You intentionally attacked a fellow student and caused grievous harm to him. I am quite sure that James and Lily would not have-"

"James and Lily Potter-" Ares responded, his voice cold as a blizzard. "-are dead. No thanks to you, Headmaster. After all, it was your grand idea to make them choose a Fidelius-based cottage over the protections of Potter Manor. Whether my parents would have approved or not is of no consequence - considering they are dead. And the Dead do not matter."

He could feel the two professors hanging to his every word. Snape's expression had turned from anger to confusion at a moment's notice, although the man hid it quickly. McGonagall went through several emotions ranging from surprise and shock to anger and grief.

"Mister Weasley slandered my Houses, and, by extension, my parents. I ignored the first time, warned him for the second offence and punished him for his third offence. If that is not acceptable to you, you are free to inform the DMLE and I will be glad to give an official statement." Ares finished in the same cold tone.

"It seems you resent your parents for dying, Mister Black." Dumbledore returned slyly.

Ares's teeth clenched at the man's attempt to use the death of his parents. His voice dropped a few degrees below freezing. "Whether I love or hate them is immaterial, Headmaster. What matters is that they did not take precautions and just jumped ahead at your word and command back then, resulting in their deaths. I do resent the Gryffindorish behaviour on their part."

"Is it so bad to be a Gryffindor, Mr. Black?" Mcgonagall asked briskly, though Ares could hear a trace of disappointment in her voice.

"Not at all, professor. Both my parents were Gryffindors. My father is a Gryffindor and they all spoke highly of you; My parents' in their diaries and my father- well he still amuses me with stories of your detentions." A ghost of a smile formed on his lips. "That said, it was their Gryffindorish proclivities that led to their demise, and it was the Slytherin values of cunningness and subtlety that helped my father raise me into who I am today. So, please do not take any offence if I prefer being a Slytherin."

For I am one, after all.

Turning to face the Headmaster, Ares continued. "So what will be my punishment, professor?"

The Headmaster nodded his head like an elephant waving his head to shake off flies. "It is all right, Mr. Black. We merely presumed that your actions were out of order and hence, this meeting was convened to discuss the issue. There is no need for punishment, just as there is no need for a DMLE complaint. Please, return to your classes."

Inwardly smirking at the man's attempt to save his supporters, Ares stood up. "Thank you Headmaster." He replied briskly, before turning back and walking through the entrance. Minerva nodded towards the Headmaster before she too, took her leave, leaving Dumbledore and Snape behind.

"He is not what I expected!" Dumbledore stated honestly. "What do you think, Severus?"

For the first time in his life, Severus Snape held no answer. There was no jerky nod, no sarcastic reply, and no outrage against a Spawn of Potter. He just stared silently at the door through which Ares Black had walked out moments ago.

Severus Snape walked across the narrow corridors that led to his office down in the dungeons; his mind filled with thoughts about one single individual.

Harry Potter, or should he say, Ares James Black.

Deep within his mind, he hated Ares James Black since the first day. More than he ever hated Harry Potter. At least Harry Potter was Lily Potter's son. Mister Evans, Lily's father, was named Harrison; Lily had passed on the name to her son, Harrison James Potter. On the other hand, Ares Black reminded him only of his two arch-nemeses, James Potter and Sirius Black. Somehow, that despicable Gryffindor Black had managed to provide a name which Severus just had to hate more, more than he ever hated Harry Potter.

Now though, he was not so sure about his feelings.

Based on the testimony provided by the students of his house, Ares Black had, in a demonstration of political power, neutered his godson's ability to lord over his peers. He had achieved the same with Ronald Weasley and his gryffindors, although the latter involved a not-so-subtle show of his magical power. While it was interesting, it was not… unheard of for a fifteen-year-old to have a corporeal animagus form. After all, the students at the Oriana Academy of Sorcery in Guiana were instructed in the talent at a mere thirteen years of age. It was not so much the transformation, as the demonstration that truly mattered. And the way he had effectively pulled the wind of Dumbledore's arguments in the office spoke even more about his hidden talents.

Masterful.

Slytherin.

Severus would never admit it in public, but the way a true Slytherin should behave. Severus considered Ares Black to be the Slytherin he had wanted his wretched godson to become, and the thought fuelled his anger. Somehow, in the battle of being teachers and role models to godsons, Sirius Black had upped Severus by several degrees by raising a child that Salazar Slytherin would be proud of. Severus could grudgingly admit the fact to himself.

In less than twenty hours of his entrance in Hogwarts, Ares Black had taken over the fulcrum of change in the school. In a single session, he had crushed both Draco and the Weasley boy by a masterful demonstration of power. The lion, Severus mused, was quite an irony. A Slytherin with the heart of a lion.

A Black lion.

A powerful, apex predator. Deadly. Majestic. Mysterious. Black. Slytherin.

Dumbledore would have placed the boy with his aunt's muggle family, if the initial plan was followed. But Severus knew, Harry Potter had turned out better in the hands of Black than he would have under the parenting of his aunt; Lily's sister or not. He had been apoplectic with anger and cursed in colourful invectives when Dumbledore had announced that he had planned to let Potter stay with Petunia. He remembered how angry he was with the dotty old man for even thinking that Petunia Evans would be a proper guardian for a child born with magic.

Dumbledore was barmy.

Severus was almost wistful when he had heard that the Potter boy was gone, despite the fact that Black supposedly took him away. He knew that Dumbledore must have searched for Black for years, but somehow, Black had always avoided being caught. Pettigrew had been taken to prison and there were no grounds for Dumbledore to call for a search on a senior Auror like Black without any grounds. Even if there were any, Severus mused that Black would have been able to crush the old man's attempts to snatch the Potter boy away from him. Despicable or not, Severus had to agree that when it came to being a proper Godfather, Sirius Black was better than him.

That reminded him. Ares Black had not insulted him yet. Forget insulting, he had not even looked at Severus the wrong way. Where was the arrogance that he had expected? He had half-expected the brat to start taunting him and calling him 'Snivellus' just as James Potter would have done. Despite the taunts thrown at him, the brat had showed him the same respect he had given to Minerva. It drove him mad.

Severus' gait sped up in anger as he walked towards his office. How easy would it have been to simply hate the brat! Why couldn't the brat be just as he expected? No! He just had to put Severus completely at sea on the first visit. He wondered if bringing Ares Black into Hogwarts was the most brilliant thing to do, or if Dumbledore's plan would backfire. Nevertheless, he would give the brat a chance. He was a Slytherin, and thus, Severus wished to give him a fair chance. If Black soiled it, then Severus could go back to hating him in peace.

Good.

He had reached his office. Opening the door, he entered into the dark room lit by a few pale lamps. It was his personal brewery, his solace among the hundreds of potion-brewing dunderheads in the school. Sitting on the chair behind his desk, he opened the bottom drawer and took out a photograph. Rubbing the glass with his left sleeve, Severus stared at the photograph with a wistful look. A fourteen-year-old auburn haired girl waved at him, a smile on her face and joy gleaming in her eyes.

He smiled at her, which caused her to wave more, her emerald eyes dancing with excitement.

Lily…

There were a hundred and forty-two staircases at Hogwarts: wide, sweeping ones; narrow, rickety ones; some that led to random floors at random intervals of time; some with a vanishing step halfway up that you had to remember to jump. There were doors that would not open unless you asked politely, or tickled them in exactly the right place, and doors that were not really doors at all, but solid walls just pretending to be. It was also very hard to remember where anything was because the objects seemed to move around a lot. The people in the portraits visited each other, and Ares was sure the coats of armour were perfectly capable of locomotion.

The ghosts did not help the situation either. It was always a nasty shock when one of them glided through a door you were trying to open. The Bloody Baron was always happy to point new Slytherins in the right direction, but Peeves the Poltergeist would ensure you were either pranked to an inch of your life or ended up in a room or corridor that was as far from your destination as possible. He would drop wastepaper baskets on your head, pull rugs from under your feet, pelt you with bits of chalk, or sneak up behind you, invisible, grab your nose, and screech, "GOT YOUR CONK!" Moreover, that was nothing if you considered the caretaker, Argus Filch, and that dishrag he called a cat, Missus Norris.

Overall, Hogwarts was a moving, living, breathing circus for Ares James Black. The meeting with the grand old man had gotten better than he had expected. All in all, he was sure that he didn't like the old man, but whether Dumbledore deserved his hatred or not was a matter of perspective. Padfoot had more than enough issues with the old man already – Ares' father, James, had told him not to trust Dumbledore, and the incident with Remus Lupin hadn't really helped matters. After that incident though, they weren't really disturbed by the old man or his lackeys - at least from what Ares knew, and he had been an active part of his father's life for years. Then again, it was almost impossible for anyone to track the two of them. Padfoot and him had lived a nomadic life, travelling across countries, visiting places and learning magic from various tutors or tomes. It was a different life from the one Daphne had, but he would have it no other way.

According to Padfoot, Albus Dumbledore was a pacifist, who would go out of the way to preserve the magical world in his image. The Chief Warlock was a vocal supporter of muggleborns, but he wouldn't take a stance against the bigotry prevalent in Britain. Over the last couple of decades, Albus Dumbledore had gone out of his way to suppress the sharing of advanced magical knowledge in Britain, reducing the quality of education at Hogwarts and subtly removing all kinds of obscure magical arts, dubbing them with a single phrase.

Dark Magic.

Padfoot named him responsible for making Wizarding Britain a stagnant dump, with outdated knowledge and pushing out useless wizards and witches every year from Hogwarts. The History of Magic teacher was a ghost who droned on about goblin rebellions, keeping the students in ignorance about recent wizarding history. The Potions Master was, apparently, a bully to all houses except Slytherin, although he did know his subject well. The DADA professorship was a running joke of Hogwarts. The school held the world record for hiring not only the maximum number of people for the position, but also for hiring the most incompetent people on the planet. The recent years had set the record for the latter at an all-time high. Apparently, Albus Dumbledore had asked the muggle-studies professor, Quirinus Quirrel, to teach DADA in 1991, followed by Gilderoy Lockhart, who had several arrest warrants to his name in Romania. In 1993, Remus Lupin occupied the professorship – he did not possess the necessary qualifications for the job – and in 1994, a Death-eater turned Azkaban-fugitive, Bartemious Crouch Junior, had captured Alastor Moody and, using polyjuice, impersonated the veteran auror and taught at Hogwarts for a year. It was shocking that Albus Dumbledore, an old friend of Moody, had been completely unaware of the developments. Ares couldn't help but wonder if the old man was actually that incompetent or merely pretending to be such. Ares wasn't sure what was scarier.

According to Padfoot, Dumbledore was the main fulcrum behind passing of the law that made it mandatory for all heirs of ancient families to pass their OWLS and NEWTS from Hogwarts, despite the fact that the law was passed by Stephen Wenlock, one of the more egalitarian Wizengamot members - which Ares translated to boring sheep. Padfoot said that with Voldemort resurrected at the end of the 1994-95 school year during the last task of the Triwizard Tournament, Dumbledore wanted the boy-who-lived under his control - a desire that had resulted in the law being passed and initiating the events that Ares led to coming to Hogwarts and Padfoot moving to active politics. His father could go on and on about the evils Dumbledore had created and allowed to fester in Wizarding society, but if there was one thing he agreed to, it was that the Dark Lord Voldemort was a mutual enemy. Padfoot hated the Dark Lord with all his soul, on par with the hatred he held for Albus Dumbledore. Ares, however, was unsure in that respect.

Oh, he understood very well that Voldemort was responsible for his parent's deaths. That did not change the fact that it was his parents, James and Lily Potter, who had decided to join forces with the Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore's not-so-secret organisation, to actively fight the Dark Lord. It was a tragedy, but it was not… unexpected since it was a war, and every war has casualties on all sides. Call him pragmatic, but Ares could not understand why James and Lily Potter had been so vocal and aggressive against Lord Voldemort when the leader of the Order himself was a pacifist. Padfoot might think differently, but Ares believed in a different philosophy, taught to him by his tutor.

You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way and the only way… it doesn't exist.

Padfoot might have done all he could to make Ares into a formidable wizard. However, there were lines that even the formidable Sirius Black would never cross. Lines that Ares Black had crossed a long time ago. And while Ares would never support Voldemort, he would never be a part of Dumbledore's order of groupies. His philosophy was simpler. Live and let live, but cross me at your peril. There was a reason after all, why the ice-dragon wand had suited him perfectly.

Ares turned around the corridor to arrive at the Potions classroom, and found Daphne and her friends waiting for him near the door. He could see Theodore and Tracy bickering over something, though the Zabini Heir was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps… he should get a private moment and talk to the apparently affable guy.

"Ares." Daphne walked up to him, ignoring the bickering of the couple behind her "Where were you?"

All thoughts of leaving Hogwarts and manipulative old men and dark lords flew out his head as soon as Ares heard the voice of his girlfriend.

"Around." He shrugged. He still couldn't understand the education system prevailing at Hogwarts. The entire morning had been devoid of any classes and now they were supposed to have their Potions class - with the Gryffindors no less - in the afternoon.

Seriously! Who puts the two worst rivals in the same classroom filled with volatile items? Does the school want a murder to happen? Not for the first time, he thanked Padfoot for the private tutoring he had access to.

"I missed the Creatures class because of you." Daphne complained, staring at him with a hint of anger and teasing in her tone.

Ares raised an eyebrow. Apparently, they did have classes earlier. "Then why didn't you go?"

Daphne scrunched up her face in mock-rage. "Because of the troubles you caused. I ran after you before the schedules could be distributed."

Ah! "And?" Ares raised an eyebrow.

"And nothing! Now, get in. Professor Snape is going to arrive any moment." Daphne chided, before she all but pulled him along with her.

When in Rome…. Ares mused, before allowing his girlfriend to pull him into the Potions classroom.

Not for the first time, Ares wondered if Snape was indeed a sadist at heart. The classroom, located in the dungeons, was nearly devoid of light. Adding to the discomfort, the simmering cauldrons, animal parts, plant ingredients and a lack of safety measures created an environment that was torture at best and an explosion waiting to happen at worst. The jars and vials of ingredients on the shelves around the room did not improve the decor. While not gifted at potions, Ares considered himself an adequate brewer. Even his tutor's lab was a lot cleaner, far brighter and was not within the hearts of a creepy dungeon. AND had safety measures built into the tables used for brewing.

Looking at this travesty a thought flitted though Ares' head. Yes, Severus Snape was a sadist.

"Settle down," said Snape coldly, waving his wand to shut the door behind him as he walked to the desk at the head of the room. There was no real need for the call to order - the moment the class had heard the door close, quiet had fallen and all fidgeting stopped. Snape's mere presence was usually enough to ensure a class's silence.

Ares wondered how the man was able to billow his cloak with such elegance as he walked.

"Before we begin today's lesson," said Snape, sweeping over to his desk and staring around at the group of Slytherins and Gryffindors. "I think it appropriate to remind you that in the coming month of June, you will be sitting an important examination during which you will prove how much you have learned about the composition and use of magical potions. Moronic though some of this class undoubtedly are, I expect you to scrape an 'Acceptable' in your O.W.L, or suffer my… displeasure."

Okay! That was just overdo! Ares wondered if the torture chamber had been turned into the potions classroom, especially with the aura of menace that the professor seemed to radiate.

"After this year, many of you will cease studying with me." Snape went on. "I take only the very best into my N.E.W.T. Potions class, which means that some of us will certainly be saying good-bye. But, we have another year to go before that happy moment of farewell." said Snape softly, "So, whether you are intending to attempt N.E.W.T. or not, I advise all of you to concentrate your efforts upon maintaining the high-pass level I have come to expect from my O.W.L. students."

Ares sat silently and wondered what Snape's expectations might be. He saw the professor turn towards him, and sat up straight, his face devoid of any expression.

"Before we begin, I would like to ask a couple of questions to our new student. Mr. Black," Snape's lips curled, wondering if Ares would respond in the same manner as Potter or Black. "You have been privately tutored so far, and hence, I must know if you are qualified to sit in this class or not."

Ares nodded but said nothing. Snape continued. "First question, what color is the Dog-breath potion and what does it do?"

Ares kept his expression blank as he answered. "It's purple and causes the drinker to breath fire."

Snape just stared at him for a moment and then said. "Correct. Next question." He paused for a while and then proceeded. "Name a potion that uses salamander blood, lionfish spines, flubberworms' mucus, and honey water; and its use."

"Wiggenweld potion and it's used to wake people up from a deep sleep, or from something like the Draught of Living Death." Ares replied with only a moment's hesitation.

Snape looked at him with a peculiar expression and then nodded. "Correct." He went back to the board and addressed the class.

"Today we will be correcting a potion that often comes up at Ordinary Wizarding Level: The Draught of Peace, a potion to calm anxiety and soothe agitation. Be warned: If you are too heavy-handed with the ingredients you will put the drinker into a heavy and sometimes irreversible sleep, so you will need to pay close attention to what you are doing." On Ares' left, Tracy sat straighter, her expression one of the utmost attentiveness. Daphne had told him how Tracy wanted to be a potions-mistress. "The ingredients and method-" Snape flicked his wand as instructions appeared on the board behind him. "-are on the blackboard. You will find everything you need-" He flicked his wand towards the cupboard, whose doors sprang open. "-in the store cupboard. The defective potions are in the cauldrons in front of you. You have an hour and a half… Begin!"

The potion was quite tricky and had not Ares not practiced the potion previously, he would not have been able to correct perfectly. The ingredients had to be added to the cauldron in precisely the right order and quantities. The mixture had to be stirred exactly the right number of times, firstly in clockwise, then in counter-clockwise directions. The heat of the flames on which it was simmering had to be lowered to exactly the right level for a specific number of minutes before the final ingredient was added.

"A light silver vapour should now be rising from your potion," called Snape, with ten minutes left to go. Ares looked at his potion. The surface was simmering with a near silver vapour, which was almost what the result was supposed to be.

Snape stalked through the room, his pointed nose sniffing out some potions at intervals. When he came up to Ares' cauldron, he sniffed and put on a strange expression. "Acceptable." He gave him a jerky nod and walked away to the next student.

Ares sighed. The potions master breathing right down his neck was something he did not want to anticipate waiting for in his future. He would have to talk to the Professor about it, especially after what his father had told him.

Looking around at the rest of the class, he found Tracey had a perfect potion in front of her. Daphne and Theo seemed to have achieved similar results. But, there were potions that appeared orange of all colors when the book did not even mention such and one student appeared to have turned his mixture into a strange pink jelly that seemed ready to burst.

It was going to be a long year at Hogwarts.

After the class had submitted a vial of their potions to Snape, and Snape had assigned the usual deduction of points and detentions, the students headed back to their respective dormitories or the Great Hall for dinner.

Once their dinner was finished, all Houses had returned to their dormitories. Ares, Daphne and her friends had opened the entrance to the Slytherin common room. As soon as they entered, the group found themselves subjected to the stares of what looked to be the majority of seniors in the House. While Daphne, Tracey, Theo and Blaise recognised the gathering for what it was, Ares realised he was the subject of their stares. The rest of the fifth years entered the common room and took their places around the walls.

Instincts on high alert, Ares shifted into a stance and prepared to draw his wands at the sight of spell fire. Daphne murmured in his ear to calm down and joined the rest of the House along with her friends. Blaise and Theo passed friendly glances towards him. Ares glanced around the assembly, assessing potential threats and non-combatants.

"What can I do for you guys?" he asked warily.

"For starters," A rough gritty voice answered him from behind the crowd. "You can tell us where you stand." The crowd parted and Ares could see a rather tall and bulky figure standing in front of him. The seventh-year boy walked up to Ares and held out his hand. "I am Allister Montague, Scion of the Noble House of Montague. Your reaction during today's breakfast was... interesting, to say the least, and we all would like to satisfy our curiosity."

"So this is an interrogation!" Ares asked genially, although no one missed the sharp edge of his tone.

"In a way." Allister shrugged. "Personally, I would think of it as a formal introduction to the politics of Britain."

"And political introductions in Britain are-" Ares replied with a flourish. "-usually done by hounding someone with people on all sides and then shaking hands?"

"Ouch! That was a low blow! Black!" Allister smirked. "But you are right. We should have known that since you are an outsider, you would not know the customs of the House." Allister walked towards him and gestured around the room. "This, Black, is the House Assembly. We host the assembly when the House decides that it needs to know something or when disputes between members need to be resolved formally. Rules are thus - You are free to answer or deny our questions. If you answer, we may ask you to validate said answer. Usually, an oath is sufficient. If you deny it, you remain a pariah in the House until you decided to answer the questions."

"Okay! Interrogation with a sense of humour! Got it! So does this needs to be done standing or could we get ourselves comfortable?" Ares asked, adopting a calm tone of voice. He did not relax his stance.

Allister smirked. "Oh I like you already, Black." Pointing towards the couches, he nodded. "After you."

The House Assembly was in full session. Every member from fifth-year onward was present and seated. Daphne sat with her friends. It was an unspoken rule that the person to be interrogated would have to remain alone. Ares looked up at the crowd around him - so many faces looking at him. Some burning with curiosity, other with indifference, and then some like Malfoy, glaring at him, their faces red with anger.

Allister and Ares occupied the armchair and couch in the middle of the room, both closely observing the other.

Allister launched the first question. "Why did you come to Hogwarts?"

Ares simply smirked at the seventh-year. "To study at our illustrious school, of course." He put just enough sarcasm into the word.

Most of the seniors narrowed their eyes at the perceived insult, while many outright glared at Ares' contempt for their institution.

Allister's eyes narrowed, but he continued his enquiry. "You are a Potter. Your family has predominantly been in Gryffindor, as far as we know. Your family was a Dumbledore supporter and fought against the Dark lord." Ares understood he was sitting in front of a wannabe death eater. "As you well know, many of our families served the Dark lord, unwittingly or not. How do we know that you are not here on Dumbledore's orders for infiltration into the House of the Snakes?"

From the corner of his eye, Ares could spot Daphne rolling hers, while Blaise shook his head in disappointment. Leaning back on the couch, he smirked. "Now that was a low blow, Mr. Montague. First question and you reduce me to being the old man's spy. What would your father say when he hears you insulted a Lord of a Noble and Ancient House?" Allister's face turned serious. Ares continued. "But let's ignore that, what with it been sporty and all…" Daphne suppressed a grin. "No, I am not, as you say, a Dumbledore supporter. In fact, the only reason I am here was because of that ridiculous law that your fathers voted for, the law that says the heirs of Ancient Houses would have to take their OWLS and NEWTS from Hogwarts."

There was some murmuring amongst the crowd all around while several students, specifically the heirs with seats on the Wizengamot glared at the insult to their family.

Before any heir could express his displeasure, Alfred Cuthbert, s sixth-year, spoke out. "Forgive me, Black, but the fact that your parents were all Gryffindors, and yet you are here in Slytherin without so much as a howler from Lord Black is quite... surprising for us."

While it was a common saying that children would be sorted into the Houses of their parents, it was well known that the child could also be sorted into another house, Sirius Black being a rather famous example. Ares remembered Gregorovitch's words.

"A child is, not necessarily, the sum of their parents."

There were quite a few famous examples of children not being sorted into the Houses of their parents. But these fools behaved like Houses actually mattered. Ares really wished that his intelligence would not drop because of his proximity to the morons.

"My father might have been a Gryffindor but you have to keep in mind that he was raised Slytherin." He replied. "The Blacks have been Slytherins for hundreds of years." Turning to Montague, he continued "Your information is wrong. My great-great grandfather was a Slytherin. In fact, his cousins were either Slytherins or sorted into Ravenclaw. It was only since the time of my grandfather that my family was sorted into Gryffindor."

Everyone started muttering loudly at the revelations. They continued until Malfoy spoke up. "I don't believe you Potter. Your animagus is a bloody lion of all things." Turning towards the rest of the crowd, he asked. "Do you people need any more reasons to believe that he is technically a Gryffindor, just pretending to be a Slytherin on the old man's orders?"

A few people were agreeing with the Malfoy scion and the tables were turning again. These…morons actually with that ferret's reasoning? Ares knew that unless he pacified the crowd, his stay at Hogwarts could become much more problematic. The words of his father came to mind.

Magical Britain is a dump, Ares. A big, stagnant dump. The society is antiquated and unwilling to progress, thanks to the combined efforts of both the Light and the Dark factions. If they are making you enter the dump, do your best to cause as much chaos as you can. Do not hide your abilities. But also keep your most powerful assets away from prying eyes. Show them what they expect to see, and then, what they want to see. Let them cause divides among themselves. That is the only way, in which you can finally make them see the truth.

Ares smirked. "So because I am a lion, you are thinking I do not deserve to be a Slytherin." He turned his emerald eyes and looked directly at the Scion of House Malfoy. "Now-" he began in a rather loud but stern voice, "-if I were to prove that I am more worthy than you are to stay in Slytherin; what would you do?" He looked towards the rest of the crowd, smirking as he did. "If I prove that I am more worthy of being called a Slytherin than all of you, what will you do?"

Blaise frowned at the words. He understood what Black was up to. Black was going to reveal about his lordship. It was quite a disappointing move. He had hoped that Black would be able to hold on that card for a bit longer.

Drawing his black wand, Ares pointed it towards the floor. "Serpensortia!"

A rather large Indian cobra sprang out of his wand. It hissed angrily at being summoned without its wish. Allister and several members of the house jumped at the summon while Daphne smiled.

"Listen to me serpent!" Ares hissed and a veritable amount of shrieks filled the common room at hearing the language of the serpents. Blaise' eyes widened in shock before smirking at the demonstration, mentally doffing a hat to Ares James Black.

"You are a-a-a b-bloody Parselmouth!" Allister asked, his shock overtaking his calm demeanour.

Ares smirked. He looked at the serpent.

Upon hearing a speaker, the cobra had stopped hissing and turned to face Ares. "What can I do for you, noble Speaker?"

"Scare them, but do not bite them." The members of the house shivered at hearing the language.

The cobra nodded its hood towards him, as if paying homage before hissing dangerously towards the crowd. People shrieked and some even ran away in fear.

"Is that enough for your curiosity or do you need more proof?" He asked, smirking.

Allister gulped. "It is enough, Black. Forgive me for doubting you."

Ares looked at the crowd before him. Malfoy's expression was a combination of shock, fear, anger and jealousy. Blaise sat impressed, and Daphne winked at him. Theo and Tracy were shocked and impressed at Ares' previously unknown ability.

"Well, let's call it a night then." Ares waved his wand, vanishing the serpent and holstering his wand. Standing up and sending a wink towards Daphne, he began walking towards his room, heedless of the eyes on him. The crowd parted for him and continued to stare as he entered his room and locked the door.

The silence in the common room did not abate for a long while after.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: (22-12-2017) Another beautiful evening. I wonder if I can get some chips on the… Oh! Sorry guys. Arcturus has vanished off the face of the earth for quite some time. So, the responsibility of this AN falls to me.

I'm not sure what to state beyond "Enjoy the chapter. Updates shall come in time."

Still, it is an AN. Can't keep it too bland.

One definite fact shall be stated her: Ares, in no way, shape or form, will be a God or an OP-character. The supporting cast will play a bigger role and we shall endeavour to enrich the story to the best of our ability.

I give thanks to all the reviewers, the people who fav and follow the story. We will take suggestions seriously.

Thanks to that one reviewer who suggested a good alternative for our character roster. We did consider your suggestion, but we decided to stick to our choice. Thanks for the suggestion.

And for those who are currently looking for updates to the other stories on his profile, we shall restart them in time.