The fifth-year Slytherins and Gryffindors walked into the transfiguration classroom for the first class of the day. Today was going to be Ares's first class with Professor McGonagall, and he was anticipating the class more than any other. He had grown up hearing stories about her stern nature and, her almost contradictory enthusiasm for winning the Quidditch Cup. She was also his dad's godmother. His dad had written in his journal that, during the school term, she never allowed him any leeway because of the relationship. However, a part of him feared that his experience with her might not be so pleasant. He was a Slytherin and she was the head of Gryffindor House. More importantly, he had boldly claimed that he preferred to be a Slytherin to her face. He hoped that his claim would not come back to bite him.
The transfiguration classroom was quite different compared to the Potions class he attended yesterday. Located on the third-floor, the room felt far more spacious. The door opened to a large room filled with large desks for the students, a blackboard with a teacher's desk in front, a set of stairs leading to an office on the far right and two large windows filled with moving mosaics on the left wall.
Ares could feel the difference in ambient magic between the rooms. Down in the dungeons, the potions classroom had a rather constricted feeling to its magic; it felt hard, calm and controlled. Here, the magic felt quite raw; like metamorphosis, conversion, and free will.
Sitting on a rather large table in front of the rows of the students taking their seats was a medium-sized tabby cat, brown with some black spots over the fur. Ares smirked, stories about McGonagall's animagus form rising in his mind. A grin forming on his lips, he drew his black wand and conjured a small bowl, filling it with milk summoned from the kitchens. Once the bowl was full, he walked towards the table, paying no heed to the stumped expressions of the class, both at his display of magic and the sense of what he was about to do. A couple of students tried to stop him but his quick stride did not let them. Stopping in front of the teacher's desk and staring at the cat with a grin, he laid the bowl of milk on the desk.
The students watched, flabbergasted, as the cat actually swooped down and quickly tasted some of the milk. In a split second, the cat transformed into a rather stern looking Professor McGonagall standing in front of Ares.
Her lips twitching with amusement, and irritation at the gall of the boy, McGonagall, with an eagle-eyed glare, rebuked him. "Mr. Black that was very presumptuous of you; taking advantage of the weakness of my animagus form like that."
Ares put forth the image of an apologetic student, giving her his best innocent-look, and said "I am sorry Professor. I had no idea that it was you. I thought it was your pet cat or something."
McGonagall's lips twitched at his expression. She knew that the rapscallion in front of her was putting up an act. That innocent look was so…James, along with Lily's eyes. Add to that the forlorn expression that the boy must have copied from Sirius and it was incredibly difficult for her to hold onto her anger. She knew that he had pranked her and in public, no less. How the boy was not in Gryffindor was beyond her.
"Very well Mr. Black, please try to limit your... natural drive a little. Now take a seat. We are delaying the class." She did not miss the ghost of a smile that appeared on his lips. Just like James.
The class watched stupefied as Ares James Black, Slytherin and Parselmouth, returned back to find a seat, despite having essentially pranked the Head of Gryffindor House in her own class. To most of the students, it was one of the few impossibilities of the magical world.
Must be one of the 'being Harry Potter' things. They thought to themselves.
Ares took a seat beside Daphne who had reflexively moved on the bench to give him seating space, causing Tracey to nearly fall down on the other end, bringing a sudden "Ooof" from her. She glared at the intrusion but Daphne maturely stuck out her tongue at her.
Romance gone to the head. Tracey to herself.
Tapping her wand on the desk for silence, McGonagall began her lecture. "Today we shall begin the study of Inanimate Conjuration. As Mr. Black demonstrated a few moments earlier - for the record," She stopped to stare at Ares, "Five Points to Slytherin -" She continued her lesson. "We will begin by conjuring lighter materials such as wood and leather and then move on to the denser ones such as marble and metals. I should like to inform you that it is impossible to conjure Gold and it will be better if you do not try to exhaust yourself because of your fool's hope of conjuring wealth." There were a few sniggers around the classroom. "Silver is quite difficult to conjure, but not impossible. However, you will find that it is much easier to transfigure other materials into silver."
"Why is that, professor?" asked Theo, who had his quill poised to diligently note down points told by the professor.
"Can anyone answer that question?" McGonagall asked to the class. "Yes, Miss Granger?"
Putting her hand down, a brunette with a curly mass of bushy brown hair rose up. "That is because conjuration requires more energy than transfiguration; and silver requires an energy equivalent of 50 quints, which is quite difficult for an average witch or wizard to supply in a single wand movement."
"A rather arithmantic answer, but in essence, correct. Take 5 points. Anyone else have any alternate ideas?" the professor asked to the crowd.
Ares was quite enjoying the way McGonagall was immersing the class into a discussion-based study approach. It was exactly the way he himself preferred. On a whim, he put his hand up and, just as he hoped, the professor took him up on it.
"Yes, Mr. Black?" asked McGonagall, curious about the extent of his knowledge, and wondering if he had James's talent for Transfiguration.
"Because conjuration is essentially elemental transfiguration, which is of course, much more complex and taxing than regular transfiguration."
McGonagall smiled at him. This was an answer she would expect from a person well versed in the magical theory behind transfiguration. Especially one who had an innate understanding of the subject. While Miss Granger had quite an exemplary memory, rote memorization did not ensure proper understanding of principles; especially when concerning a visually imaginative subject like Transfiguration.
"Care to elaborate, Mr. Black?"
Ares smiled at her and replied "When we conjure material out of thin air, what we are actually doing is transfiguring the air around us. Air, like water, earth and fire, is an element and hence, I described transfiguration from air as elemental transfiguration and cross-elemental transfiguration is one of the most difficult feats to achieve. As a result, it is far easier to transfigure a solid to a solid than air to a solid and why conjuration is rather difficult. As far as silver is concerned, it requires a very high amount of magical energy, 50 quints to be exact, as Miss Granger just stated." The class was listening with rapt attention. "However, transfiguring a solid like wood to silver requires less around 15 quints, around a third of the energy requirement of conjuring the same substance. Hence, silver is better transfigured than conjured."
The class was completely silent. Even Hermione Granger and Theodore Nott, who normally could be seen noting down every word that the professor uttered, looked at Ares with awe. They had never seen another student who had explained Transfiguration in a manner that did not repeat a textbook verbatim.
McGonagall had a broad grin on her face and she smiled broadly at him. "Fifteen points on a fantastic explanation of the basic principle of conjuration. I couldn't say it better myself."
Ares just looked at her and smiled with a silent nod, sitting down on the bench.
"Always the showman, aren't you?" Daphne nudged him in his ribs with a sly grin.
"I try." Ares replied, grinning at his girlfriend.
"So with that," McGonagall drew attention back to her with her words. "Let us begin our lesson on conjuration. We are going to begin by conjuring a wooden object. The object can be anything. A box, a chair, a table, anything you are familiar with and know vividly. Try your best but make sure that you do not exert yourself too much. We do not want any patients of magical exhaustion in our first class. The spell is 'Evoco substantiam lignorum' and the wand movement is an anticlockwise flick with a straight wand dive." She performed it for all to see as a wooden stature of a cat formed out of thin air. "Begin."
After an hour of repeated chanting, focusing and wand waving, many students were able to conjure an object or more. A couple of them were still waving their wands uselessly, including one Ron Weasley, the other being Vincent Crabbe. Hermione Granger had conjured a wooden desk with a drawer. It was quite miniature in size but the transfiguration was excellent. Theo had conjured a wooden table, while Tracey had conjured a rather nice-looking oval basket. Daphne was working on getting her rather fashionable chair conjured out of thin air. It was still under way but she was progressing very well, while Ares had a fully conjured stag in front of him.
"That's a beautiful stag, Ares." Blaise commented from the adjacent table. He had conjured a miniature garden maze. "But why a stag?"
"My dad was a stag animagus. He became one in his fifth year at school. My father has showed me several many memories of this stag form." Ares gently caressed the smooth wooden outline of the antlers of the stag. "Hello Prongs!"
"James would have been very proud of you, Mr. Black. He too was a natural at Transfiguration like you." McGonagall smiled at the son of her two dear friends in joy and grief. Joy, because despite his words in the Headmaster's office, he dearly loved them. And grief for learning about his parents through memories.
Ares just smiled at her. The professor had no idea how literally true her statement was. The fact that transfiguration was just as natural to him as it was for his dad was one of the many things that endeared the subject to him.
"Thank you, Ma'am."
McGonagall smiled at him.
Once McGonagall dismissed the class for the day, the students began leaving the room, when the professor asked Ares to stay back for a talk. Ares did not know what to expect, but his gut instinct told him that it was okay and did not leave his seat. After the classroom was deserted, she strode up to him and stroked the wooden stag with a caress. "How long does it sustain?"
"A day at most." Ares shrugged. "I could create a runic matrix to stabilize the form."
McGonagall narrowed her eyes at the answer. "In that case, I shall be keeping this one. It will be a memento of my departed godson. Though the runic matrix would be appreciated."
Ares smiled. "I shall get it done as soon as possible."
At Ares' smile, she continued. "So how advanced are you, Mister Black?"
"Finishing NEWT level, professor." There was simply no reason to hide his abilities, at least in the usual subjects. His father had given him carte blanche to display his abilities and not hold back.
McGonagall raised an eyebrow. "Indeed? Then, an assessment of your abilities is in order. What would you say to a friendly duel, one based only on Transfiguration?"
Ares smirked and rose to the challenge. "Bring it on, professor."
Almost surprised at the casual way her student had accepted her challenge, McGonagall stated. "Only transfiguration, no other spells. Whenever you feel the need to stop, just shout it out. I will stop."
"Sure thing, professor." Ares replied with a grin.
The desks and benches were shifted to the sides, creating a modest duelling arena. Student and Professor moved to opposite ends and whipped their wands out.
McGonagall curled her lip and uttered "Begin..."
His black wand singing in unison with his magical core, Ares swished it methodically in the air, transfiguring the chair near him into a wolf which barged at the professor.
McGonagall transfigured the wolf into a javelin in mid-air and sent it hurtling towards her student. The javelin was stopped by a rather large stone slab conjured by Ares who transfigured pieces of the slab into small birds which attacked McGonagall, only to be conjured into little flowers that fell harmlessly on the rug. Raising her hand to bring the duel to a stop, both of them relaxed their stances for the upcoming round they knew would come.
"Not bad! Not bad at all!" McGonagall commented, a pleased smile on her face. She knew James would have sung praises about his son's talent until the readers went deaf while Lily would have smiled at her husband's antics with fondness exasperation. The thought sent a brief stab of grief through her heart.
"I aim to please, professor." Ares finished with a lop-sided grin.
McGonagall's lips twitched at his expression. "Then let us, just as the muggles say, raise it up by a notch?"
Ares just shrugged in confirmation.
"How did you get so proficient at silent transfiguration?" McGonagall asked while changing one of the desks into a leopard, which sprang on Ares, only to be caught in a net, conjured out of pieces of leftover slab by the latter who reversed the transfiguration, changing the leopard back into a desk.
Ares transfigured the trophies standing on top of a cupboard behind McGonagall into killer vines and ordered them to bind her. The vines leapt towards her only to be transfigured back into snakes and sent them back to him.
Ares smirked. "Attack and Bind her!" He hissed.
The snakes stopped and immediately leapt back towards McGonagall who stood stupefied for a split second. Regaining her focus, she transfigured the snakes into pillows just as they neared her feet.
"That will be enough!" Both duellists took a deep breath as she looked at Ares with shrewd eyes. "You are a Parseltongue?" she asked, her tone filled with curiosity.
"Yes, professor. I have it since I was a kid." Ares wondered if she would think of him as a Dark Wizard.
"Oh". The professor's face grew serious. "Others might not take your ability with good humour. As it is, Slytherin himself was a Parselmouth, and then You-know-who was one too." While she knew that the ability was far more common in the east and was revered by the Indian magical community, Britain would simply label Ares as the next You-Know-Who.
Recognising her tone as one of concern rather than fear, Ares said "Voldemort." Knowing the fear people had for the very name, he decided that he would not flinch from saying it aloud.
McGonagall flinched. It was a knee-jerk reaction, a near subconscious reflex of the fear caused by the name of the worst Dark Lord in the history of Britain. Ares frowned at her reaction. "That may well be… But you being in Slytherin, and a Parselmouth… I am not sure how the others will react." She knew very well how they would. "Perhaps you should hide it from the general masses-"
Ares cut her off. "It is too late for that, Professor. I made the news public in the Slytherin common room last night."
"Why would anyone in the right mind do that?" McGonagall nearly yelled in exasperation.
"It is just a language, Professor. It is an ability like any other. A skill I want to develop. Just because some-" Ares put heavy emphasis on the word, letting McGonagall know exactly who he was talking about. "-people are too dumb to think it as evil, doesn't mean I will just hide it away." He ended on a firm tone.
"It is more complicated than that!" McGonagall sighed, knowing he was both right and wrong. She relaxed her pose, conjured two chairs, and sat on one of them and gestured towards the other. Ares took the seat and looked at her attentively.
"You have to understand how it was like." McGonagall began her lecture. "The magical world had barely recovered from the aftershocks of the Great War of Europe. Dumbledore had defeated Grindelwald, thus ending what was otherwise a dark age for Wizarding Britain. We barely had three decades of peace before the terrorist attacks had begun all over Britain. The name behind them?"
"V-Voldemort. The heir of Slytherin."
"Then, people started disappearing. Anyone who was brave enough to speak against him or the death eaters would be murdered. Or worse. Imagine returning back from work one day, only to find your home demolished, your family murdered, your house in flames, with that detestable dark mark hovering over your roof." McGonagall looked up at him sharply. "It is not cowardice when people flinch at his name. It is the result of decades of suffering. Someone would say his name, and instantly death eaters would surround you. The wizarding population may be pacifists, but they are not plain cowards. That reaction, which caused you to frown, is a symbol of the tyranny we suffered for over a decade."
"Till Halloween, 1981." Ares ended for her.
McGonagall looked at him sharply and nodded in affirmation. "Till Halloween 1981. You defeated him as a baby. The world rejoiced at the victory of the Boy-who-lived." There was distaste in her voice at the title. "I lost my godson and my god-grandson had vanished away from Magical Britain." She looked at him, fighting to keep her tears at bay.
Ares just stared at her. Silently.
"And now, fourteen years later, the people come to know that another Parselmouth has come to Hogwarts." She stood up, walked over to him and placed her hands on his shoulders with a firm grip. Ares nearly flinched at the touch. If she felt it, she certainly didn't show any reaction. "They cannot help but be afraid. Afraid that perhaps the Boy-Who-Lived was just another, more powerful dark wizard; and that is what will happen. I cannot imagine the public reaction that is going to follow because of your decision."
Ares looked up at her and placed his right hand over hers. "Professor, Pad and I knew that the public reaction will not be good. Nevertheless, I do have a real trump card in my hand. I can tell you about it, but I will need an Oath of Silence from you."
McGonagall raised her eyebrow at that statement. His words reminded her of the Marauders during their time at the school. "You can trust me, Ares."
Ares nodded. "I can, and I do. However, I do not trust anyone else in the school staff. At least, not yet. So, please understand my concerns."
She nodded. "Very well." Taking her hands of his shoulder and raising her wand above her head, she intoned. "I, Minerva McGonagall hereby swear on my magic that I will keep the secrets Ares James Black shares with me. I also swear not to disclose said secrets to others without his express permission. As have I sworn, so mote it be."
Her wand flared and a shade of vermillion glowed around her. Ares whispered silently and a layer of magic surrounded the two of them in a ward.
"Parseltongue privacy ward. Much more difficult to break into and quite easy to set up." He explained, deciphering the look on her face. Raising his right fist, he pointed it towards her.
A large gold signet ring studded with an emerald and opals manifested on his ring finger. An ornate snake was engraved on the emerald. A basilisk, to be exact. Below the snake was a House Crest, a symbol that was believed to have gone extinct nearly a thousand years ago.
The Noble and Most Ancient House of Slytherin.
"You... you are the heir of Slytherin?" The old professor stammered in shock. She wondered how he obtained the signet ring. She thought that it was a rather elaborate prank, some part of expecting Sirius to jump out of the cupboard. She hoped that Ares had not told anyone about it. But most of all, she wished Voldemort never learned of it.
"Head." Ares corrected her gently. "I am the Head of Slytherin. For now, at least." Ignoring her shock at his words, he continued. "Moreover, as for your unasked question, it came from my mother. She was the heiress of Slytherin."
McGonagall's mind shut down at the answer. She took a few seconds to overcome her shock before saying "But Lily, she was a muggleborn…" Her words trailed off before understanding dawned on her face. "You mean to say that your maternal grandparents were squibs from the Slytherin line?"
Ares nodded, inwardly enjoying her reaction to the reveal.
"Inexplicable." McGonagall sat down on the chair, hoping to regain some of her equilibrium.
Ares shrugged. "Voldemort- He was never the heir. He just thought he was. He is an offspring of the Gaunts, who had married into Slytherin House. Padfoot thinks that his Parseltongue might be because of the Slytherin blood in him. However, only someone born of the main line of House of Slytherin can be a Lord. Precisely, Me."
McGonagall just stared. She did not know what to think. Lily Evans had been tormented a lot during her time at Hogwarts by the Slytherin students; especially considering her friendship with Severus. To know that she was actually a Slytherin by blood, it was completely unbelievable. She morbidly wondered if You-Know-Who would suffer a heart attack at learning of his attempt at ending the Slytherin lineage on Halloween, 1981. She felt the insane urge to giggle at the thought.
Dragging her mind, and emotions, under control with Occlumency, she asked "Who... who else knows about this?"
"Me, Pad, Daphne and her friends, a couple of other people; and now... You."
"You aren't working much to keep it a secret." McGonagall spoke sharply. She was worried about the public's and You-Know-Who's reaction and the boy in front of her was all but parading it around.
"No." Ares answered calmly. He wondered if the professor's reactions to the news would be mimicked by the general population. "I hold the Lordship and intend to accept the seat at the Wizengamot one day. After all, that is exactly why I am here in the first place."
McGonagall just stared, pieces of the puzzle clicking in place. "You do not really need a Hogwarts education." Her tone was accusing. This boy was going to be the death of her!
"I will neither accept nor deny that accusation." Ares grinned.
McGonagall's lips thinned. Just like his father. She wondered if all Potters were the same and loved to go against societal and rational conventions. Understanding that she would not be changing his course, she made her decision. Sitting straight and staring at him in his eyes, she spoke, a firmness beneath her words. "Well then, if there is anything I can do to help you, do let me know. I missed being a part of my godson's life. At least, I can be a part of yours."
Ares's eyes instantly glazed over with thought. McGonagall knew that the reaction was just like Lily, whenever she was thinking something furiously.
"Well, there is something you might be able to tell me." Ares grinned at her.
Something told McGonagall that he was up to no good. That lop-sided grin never was. She had seen the same grin plenty of times to know that what came next would be anything but innocent "And what exactly would that be?" She asked warily, tone with filled resignation.
Ares adopted an innocent look that fooled no one. "Well... I am the Head and soon-to-be Lord of Slytherin. Being such, I want to seek my ancestor's Chamber of Secrets. Could you point it out where it is and how do I get in there, despite the wards the Headmaster might have put over the entrance?"
Definitely like his father.
Ares sprinted off the empty corridor. The private discussion with McGonagall had taken up quite some time, and he did not wish to miss the next class - Defence against the Dark Arts Class. The professor, Alastor Moody, was a former Master Auror and occupying the DADA post since last year, though all sorts of rumours had been floating around about some imposter personating him and links to the Triwizard tournament. Dumbledore, as usual, had done his best to sweep the news under the rug, though the Tournament and the influx of reporters in the castle made things a tad difficult.
Sirius had regaled him with enough stories about his own time as a rookie Auror. Moody had trained both James and him personally before the duo were promoted to the posts of Senior Auror. They maintained a good friendship with the paranoid ex-auror until the events of Halloween, 1981.
While he did sustain severe injuries, notably the loss of his, Moody remained one of the most effective Aurors during the war against Voldemort, being personally responsible for the arrest of over twenty Death Eaters and the death of another forty. After the events of 1981 and the subsequent trails that followed, he retired from active duty and became a trainer at the Auror Academy. According to the rumours floating around, he had taken up a teaching position at Hogwarts due to a request from Dumbledore and had renewed his contract for another year.
Sirius had been shocked to hear that Dumbledore had managed to convince Moody to come to a school and teach, as he put it, 'snotty-nosed-little-buggers'.
The defence classroom was every bit as different as Ares had expected. Desks were concentrated on side of the room with a large vacant space occupying a third of the large room. He surmised the room to be twice as large as the Duelling room at Black Manor, although he did suspect space expansion charms were at work. The vacant space stood between the desks and the blackboard with a teacher's desk in front. The desks were full of students chatting with each other, front desks half empty with a couple of Gryffindors, seated at the back, playing exploding snap. A large window occupied the wall to the left of the row of desks.
Ares smirked and took a seat beside Daphne on the front desk, wanting an unobstructed view of a class that was taken by a man that Pad had praised. Tracey sat beside Theo and Blaise occupied the desk behind them alongside another fifth-year Slytherin. The professor was nowhere to be seen. He looked around and could not see anyone besides the students still chatting with each other. A sudden flash of memory reminded him of an anecdote Pad had shared with him.
The doctrine of Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody.
Constant Vigilance.
Following his gut instinct, Ares drew his black wand and held it firm, ready to cast a shield at the first sign of trouble. Drawing a tome out of his bag, he began reading. Daphne was, similarly, reading from her defence textbook, and Ares knew she would not appreciate being disturbed. Tracey relaxed on her seat, Theo was reading from a tome whose name had faded and Blaise was glancing around the classroom. A glance around showed Ares that the rest of the class was either chatting, playing a game or simply relaxing.
The class was nearly drowning in noise when a brown-colored curse flew through the air and hit Dean Thomas. Said boy froze as he slipped onto the floor, still rigid without any movement. A few students, which included Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil and Pansy Parkinson, shrieked while several began drawing their wands anticipating another attack and others ducked under their desks after the shock had passed. Ron, in particular seemed to be projecting a sense of bravado, waving his wand in every direction while his face showed fear.
Ares put up a low-level shield covering himself and Daphne, who mirrored his actions and put up a similar shield, though she had to utter the incantation and perform the wand movement. Tracey and Theo had quickly followed suit while Blaise had raised a shield just as Ares did. A crimson spell splashed on their shield before dissipating
"Well done." The voice of Moody boomed through the hall. The students followed the source of the sound and found their Defence Professor materializing out of the air from one of the corners of the room to the left of the board. Releasing Thomas from the body-bind curse, Alastor Moody dropped his walked up to the center of the room, his wooden leg and staff creating a thunk sound across the room. His fierce gaze swept across the room, his magical left eye rotating quickly and taking stock of the room and its inhabitants. His litany of scars and missing limb and eye indicated a gruesome past and his eagle-eyed gaze showed that he was not a person to be trifled with.
"Pad was right. The man's persona does seem to fill the room." Ares mused.
"Good morning to everyone. Now, for those who do not know…" Moody's magical left eye focused on Ares. "My name is Alastor Moody. I was a Master Auror of over two decades and have been in the field for more than forty years of my life." He paused for a moment. "I'd also like to talk about some of the… more nefarious rumours that have been existing, something about me being bested, held captive in my own trunk, by a certain… someone in order to fulfil a particularly sinister plot that led to the death of Cedric Diggory of Hufflepuff."
"Are the rumours true, Professor?" Lavender Brown asked.
"All of them baseless, I assure you, though off the grid, some of that is true as well."
He paused, looking at their expressions of shock, fear and, confirmation on some. His Eye passed another glance over the last group. "But now that I am here, I am responsible for teaching you what Defence actually means and making sure you all are able to walk on the street, keeping your head from blowing off."
Moody's diatribe received a few laughs. "Found it funny, did we?" He continued in a gruff voice. "We'll see how funny it is when I'm done with your butts. I was told that the imposter taught well enough, but did not care to teach discipline to you, the most important part of Defence. Let me see if you little buggers can handle the real me."
He waved his staff, drawing the attention of everyone in class. "Who can tell me what this is?"
"A staff, sir." Tracey answered. Ares glanced back at her, sitting beside Theo. He wondered if the duo sat together every chance they could get. Almost Hufflepuff-ish, he mused. His attention diverted to the beautiful girl beside him, a smirk on her lips, as though she knew the direction his thoughts had taken.
Okay, perhaps that was a bit hypocritical of me.
Moody continued. "Yes. A staff. Now, who can tell me the difference between a staff and a wand?"
"Staves are more powerful."
"They can fire more spells."
"You can use them to attack people peacefully."
"Staff is just an old-fashioned wand."
Students from both houses were firing answers, Moody's eye flickering from one face to another as he heard their answers. They might not be morons, but they really do need a wake-up call. He really wished he could drill them on tactics as he did his aurors, especially after the pathetic reactions and miserable reflexes shown when he attacked them. His eye briefly focused on the two students who had the best reaction times of the lot, Ares and Blaise.
Seeing the students starting to spout fiction from children's tales, Moody interrupted them. "Not one of you are close to the right answer. A bigger stick doesn't give you more power or speed or greater spell strength. Think before you answer, especially when you start telling fairy tales."
The class had fallen completely silent at his words. Many of the students, especially Granger, outright glared at the man for dismissing their answers when Ares casually held his hand up.
Noticing the son of his former student raise his hand, Moody stared at him and asked "Yes, Mr. Black?"
Putting his hand down, Ares spoke clearly. "Staves are used by wizards and witches with more potent magic."
The class seemed mystified by his answer, wondering what he meant while Blaise and Theo seemed to be laughing at their reactions.
"Very technical. Can you elaborate?" Moody urged.
"Every witch and wizard possesses a certain level of magical potency. While it is an excellent foci of magic, a wand proves to be a bane for people with highly potent magic. While a wand may be corrected to channel this attribute efficiently, it requires the addition of multiple cores which greatly destabilise the wand, and such additions rarely last before they burn down. On the other hand, a staff is forged with multiple cores during the initial bonding process and can resist the effects of magical erosion. Hence, staff is far more suitable for people with high highly potent magic."
"Excellent elucidation of the fact, Potter." Moody said, a smile on his gnarled face. "A word after class."
Ares nodded in understanding and Daphne shook her head at his talent for showing off while the rest of the class sat in stunned silence. Tracey and Theo glanced at him with interest while Blaise stared in silent amusement.
While some basics of wand lore were taught for students who chose alchemy and spell-crafting for their NEWT's, it was extremely surprising for a pre-OWL level student to possess knowledge on the subject. There was a reason for wand-crafting to be considered as one of the more esoteric branches of magic.
Passing one last glance at Ares, Moody turned back to the class and barked to drag their attention to him. "Let's return to the subject. I have a higher magical potency and hence I use a staff. You do not have enough magical potency to use a staff and hence you are comfortable with a wand. This year, we will learn to alter curses and spells in terms of potency."
A brown-haired Gryffindor girl raised her wand.
"Yes, Miss?"
"Granger, Professor. Hermione Granger. I have a question."
Moody nodded and gestured her to continue.
"Professor Dumbledore uses a wand, sir. Does that mean you are more powerful than him?"
A few whispers pervaded the class. Moody surveyed the class, his eyes resting on Ares, who sat smiling. Moody's electric eye flickered away to the rest of the class.
"Interesting question." He replied. "Let me put it this way. The Headmaster uses a wand, and yet is the most powerful wizard in Britain. Yet, I use a staff and no one calls me any such thing. Contradictory, isn't it?"
The entire class was hanging on Moody's word.
"That would be because Dumbledore is more powerful, not potent."
"Aren't they the same thing sir?" Hermione followed up.
"No. Power and potency are two entirely different things. Let us put it like this. Who among you here can demonstrate a Reducto spell?"
A few among the class raised their hands.
"You!" Moody called out to Seamus Finnegan. "Care to demonstrate a Reducto for me?"
The boy gulped but stood up, and strode ahead to the center of the room. He pulled his wand out of his back pocket, much to the consternation on Moody's face, and prepared to cast on the wall to the right.
"Wait." The Defense professor stopped him. Conjuring a metal shield on the wall, he gestured towards it. "Fire your spell on the shield."
Seamus nodded and yelled out. "Reducto" and a purple spell shot out of his wand.
Ares noticed that the color was vividly distinct, unlike his own spells which were more of a pale blur. Perhaps something about power or potency made the spells different.
The spell collided with the shield with a definitive 'BANG' causing nothing; more than a minor etch on the surface.
"Good. Now return to your seat. Anyone else cares to demonstrate?"
Seamus returned to his seat while Hermione stood up and walked down the rows. On Moody's gesture, she swished her wand, the movement being textbook precise, and yelled "Reducto." Another jet of purple flew out and hit the shield, the sound of the collision reverberating much louder this time. A closer look at the shield displays a couple of more etches on the surface.
On a whim, Ares put his arm up. Moody looked at him for a moment before performing the same gesture. Ares walked down and whipped his white wand out of his wrist holster. He could have sworn a pleased look flicked across Moody's face.
Ares wasn't worried about people finding out about his dual wands. Especially, since his white wand was glamoured to like his black wand. While Moody's Eye might be able to see through it, he knew the ex-Auror wouldn't say a word about it.
Without any complex movements or incantations, he pointed his wand the center of the shield and cast the spell. A pale blur flew out of his wand to strike the shield in the targeted spot. Unlike the previous attempts, there was a hard "CLANG" as the shield broke in two at the middle.
The class fell silent at the display as some of the Slytherins and Gryffindors gazed at him with shock, envy and anger. Ron was red in the face as he glared at the new student while Granger stared at the result in unabashed curiosity. Daphne wore a proud smile, while her friends looked quite shocked at the result.
"Powerful." Moody nodded in approval at the silent casting and accuracy. "Very powerful. Nonverbal casting as well. Good job, boy. Anyway, what did we understand from the experiment so far?"
"That Black packs a punch?" Tracey pointed out shrewdly, causing a few sniggers to erupt.
"Indeed, he does." Moody continued. "But what else? Miss Granger?" His Eye swivelled to the bushy-haired girl.
"That Black has a higher magical power compared to me?"
"Yes. But now, observe." Banishing the metal pieces, Moody conjured another identical shield in the same place. Aiming his staff at the target, he whispered. "Reducto."
A pale blur, similar to Black's, flew from the staff. But, there was no sound as the spell struck, nor did the shield break into pieces. Instead, there was a now a precise hole where the metal was struck by the spell.
The students, barring a few, were staring in complete bewilderment at the display.
Moody gestured, rather unnecessarily, towards the shield. "Observe. My spell did not break the shield as Black's spell did. However, what my spell did accomplish was to completely obliterate the fraction it came in contact with. Something that did not happen with Black's attack. How do we explain that?" His Eye swivelled across the room, as he stood waiting for an answer.
Daphne raised her hand. "Because you have more magical potency than Black?"
"Essentially." Moody complied. "Potency is different from power. Power is the amount of energy that you can supply to a spell. The higher your power, the more energy you can supply. Potency is about the concentration of magic in the spell. The greater the concentration, greater the potency of a spell. Think of it in terms of fire. A hotter fire has greater potency compared to one at a lower temperature. Am I getting my point across?"
Most of the class nodded. Some like Hermione and Daphne, had their faces scrunched in thought, trying to imbibe what the professor had just explained.
Knowing it would probably be the best response he could get for now, Moody said "I want you to read Chapter 4 from your prescribed book. It deals with magical potency and its effects on curses. Prepare a three-foot long parchment on how potency affects different curses and describe the effects on eight curses to be submitted on Monday. We shall continue our demonstration in the next class. Dismissed"
The class nodded, packed their things and slowly left. Daphne gestured to Ares that she would wait but he shook his denial and gestured her to move on. After the class was empty, Moody walked up to him.
"Two wands?" Moody asked. Both knew it wasn't a question.
Ares merely nodded in response.
Moody stared at him for a few seconds before asking "So, Black… I heard you grew up with Sirius?"
Ares just nodded.
Moody stared in contemplation. "I heard a lot many things about him after the war. About how he was Voldemort's right-hand man and how he kidnapped you."
"And what is your opinion on my father?" Ares asked, his voice filled with ice.
"That it's all bollocks, of course." The man carried on gruffly. "I personally trained the lad on my knee. He learned his Occlumency from me, and I went through every thought in his head. If he was a DE, I'd know better than anyone."
"You taught my father Occlumency?" Ares wondered aloud. Pad had never mentioned that.
"Yeah, and I still hate my decision. Your father had one hormonal cesspool of a mind." Moody replied blandly.
Ares used his Occlumency shields to fight down his mortification at the words. He really did not need to know that. "My father described you with high praises."
Moody raised an eyebrow. "He did?" His Eye flickered over Ares. "He's trained you, didn't he?" was the shrewd question. "He was one of the finest and damned best of the Aurors I trained. He and Potter. Two people with one mind. Had the highest takedown rate, the two of them. I was surprised when I heard about the claims of him being a death-eater. Dog shit, I tell you. He took down too many of them to be a part of that rascal's group."
Ares just nodded. It was good to find another person who still believed in his father.
"I saw your casting. Silent and without wand-movements, yet so very precise. You would make a damned good Auror." Moody complimented, a smile playing on his lips.
Ares blushed slightly at the praise. "Isn't it a bit early for recruiting?"
"It is never too early for recruiting." Moody answered gruffly. "Some of the newbies in the Academy are far, far worse than your display in class. Knowing that dog as I do, I expect many surprises from you."
"I will try, professor." Ares replied, a light blush on his cheeks. It was nice to receive positive compliments from a man who was highly respected by Pad.
"Good. Off with you." Moody sent the boy out of the class. Walking back to his desk and sitting on his chair, he leaned his staff within drawing range on the desk. Stretching his neck to relax his muscles, he leaned back, thoughts drifting to the best pair of Aurors and friends he had ever trained and the child who appeared to be on the fast track to surpassing them. He mentally doffed his hat. You raised a good kid, Sirius.
"What did Moody want from you?" Daphne asked as they walked down the second-floor corridor to their Charms classroom.
"Just asking about Pad." Ares shrugged and stretched his arms. "Apparently, he was the one that trained him, and still completely believes in him. A bit of trivia on Pad too"
"Oh." Daphne fell into a contemplative silence.
Ares looked up at his girlfriend. Her pink lips twitched, just like every other time when she was in deep thought. "Anything troubling you, Daph?"
Daphne nodded in denial. Ares held her right palm and lightly squeezed in reassurance that he was there for her. It was just as it had always been. They were best friends after all, and every time one of the pair were stressed or needed help, the other would hold them and extend support.
Daphne smiled at him, squeezing back in thanks. "I am alright Ares, just worried about you."
"About me?" Ares frowned in confusion.
"Yes." Daphne replied. The smile fell of her face, replaced by a quiet determination. "I know you are raising all this chaos for a reason, but you are also making enemies this way. And I-" He opened his mouth to reply, but she cut him off. "Let me finish. I know you are powerful and smart, but you are making enemies on both factions, and I can't help but worry about you."
"Aww! You do care!" Ares teased, hoping she would relax.
Daphne did not reply. Just a single nod, a pensive expression flitting across her face. "I'm still not convinced that revealing your ability like that is a good idea."
"Well, it wasn't in the Prophet this morning, so that means that no one has reported it, yet." Ares countered.
Daphne frowned. "It happened last night. Give it time. Maybe it will show in the news tomorrow." At the infectious grin on his face, she let out an exasperated breath. "You're betting on it, aren't you?"
"I might have a few galleons running on that with Padfoot." Ares smirked. "It's something that Pad and I had planned before arriving here. We are… carrying out an experiment."
Daphne raised her eyebrows. "An experiment?"
Ares gave her a wry grin. "You will see."
Daphne muttered something about marauders and insanity, but kept her views to herself, as she walked beside him towards the Great Hall for lunch.
The fifth years had their electives after lunch, and Ares, who hadn't taken up Arithmancy or Creatures, had seemingly vanished off after lunch. Daphne had a suspicion that he was off to a certain room on the seventh floor, but she kept it to herself. Daphne, and Theo went to the Arithmancy classroom, while Blaise and Tracey headed off to the grounds for their Care of Magical Creatures class. While Tracey was more than intelligent enough to try for Arithmancy, she hadn't chosen it because it was boring, according to her. Blaise was just… Blaise.
She had just taken a seat at the front of the class when she encountered Granger.
Hermione Granger, dubbed the resident bookworm for House Gryffindor, was, perhaps, one of the most interesting characters at Hogwarts. The girl had demonstrated signs of having an eidetic memory, which was probably true considering her ability to devour books upon books of magical theory right down to the page numbers, and was able to dissect the information and answer when perfectly required. The girl also had a… inexcusable tendency to appear condescending to everyone when it came to studies, alongside the Hufflepuff-ish behaviour to help others, although forced help onto others would be the correct phrase. Needless to say, the combination of two opposing qualities made her seem like a condescending, arrogant know-it-all who tried to lord her superiority over others, giving people like Draco Malfoy and Ronald Weasley, essentially, complete rights to prank her to next week and back.
The first year, she had been found unconscious inside the girl's bathroom on the first floor that had been attacked and demolished by a troll which was set loose inside Hogwarts - Daphne had yet to learn who was responsible for the incident. The professors managed to defeat the troll and drive it away, but not before the infernal creature had managed to injure the girl, resulting in several weeks of recuperation in the infirmary. There was a rumour that Ronald Weasley had been involved somehow though nothing was proven. During the latter part of the school year, Granger had been hexed severely by unknown assailants, and she was seen running away across the main hallway, sobbing as she did, holding her torn bag and spoilt notes. No one knew what had happened back then, but whatever it was, it had changed the girl.
A month or so later, Draco Malfoy and his henchmen were found hanging from the chandelier in the Defence against the Dark Arts class. Strangely, Draco and his cohorts were silent about the perpetrators.
Second year, Granger was one of the muggleborns that had been attacked by the beast from the Chamber of Secrets, resulting in her getting petrified for over two months. However, she and the other petrified members were restored to full health and exams had been cancelled for the year.
Third year, the girl had, oddly, taken up all of the electives provided at Hogwarts, and had been present in every single class, even in classes with overlapping periods. There were rumours about her using some kind of… device to help her be at two places at once – none of the rumours proof - and Dumbledore had been very active about sweeping it all beneath the proverbial rug. Daphne had carefully stayed away, knowing better than to involve herself in matters that concerned the Headmaster. After all, the only way that Granger could possibly be at two places would be if she jumped through Time itself, and that was a scary thought. Surely Albus Dumbledore wouldn't give a school-girl the means to jump through Time regularly just to take classes…. She had tried writing about it to her father but had found an irresistible desire to do anything else but ask her father about it. It had taken her a few weeks before she realised that a large-scale enchantment was preventing her from talking about her suspicions to anyone beyond the school. It scared Daphne to even think that she was under an enchantment that would do anything and everything to prevent her from letting the fact out. Understandably, Daphne had not tried to test the boundaries of the enchantment (no one had ever accused her of being a Gryffindor). Whatever was going on, she had never really found out, but there was a rumour that said girl had to be admitted to the infirmary in the last few months of the term.
Fourth year was a complete and utter mess, with the Triwizard Tournament being hosted at Hogwarts and the extra students and press and tournament officials passing through the school. Daphne had been too occupied with everything else to pay attention to the queer bookworm of Gryffindor House. However, Hermione Granger had indeed come to the spotlight once again when she attended the Yule Ball with Victor Krum of all people, and had made the front page of the Daily Prophet. The news was not without repercussions, especially since Granger had found herself being the focus of hexes from many girls. Although there was a rumour of several girls landing up in the infirmary some days later. No one had revealed anything about the perpetrators but Granger looked unusually smug.
"Greengrass?"
The bushy-haired girl's voice distracted Daphne from her thoughts, as she regarded Granger with a raised eyebrow. "Yes?"
"I was wondering if I could sit beside you for today's class." Hermione asked with slight reluctance, "—if there aren't any problems, that is."
Daphne regarded her for a moment, before nodding. "Sure." While it was a surprise, she did not have any issues with Granger sitting beside her.
Granger nodded as she sat beside Daphne, who moved towards the other end to give the other girl space to sit.
"I, uhm, also wanted to talk to you about…" She began nervously. "Well, about Black. Since you spend a lot of time together, I thought maybe you could…"
Daphne raised an eyebrow. This was surprising. While Granger never really asked about other people unless they demonstrated a skill she did not have or surpassed in a subject, the query could be innocent since Ares had demonstrated rather high skills in two classes. But... it was a well-known fact that she had a rather good working relationship with the Headmaster and thus, could be a tool for him to probe into Ares's life. "And what exactly do you want to talk about?"
"Well," Hermione bit her lip, wondering if her query would step on Daphne's toes. While Daphne had never been a friend to her, she was one of the few people in school who did not actively shun her, hex her or treat her with spite. "I wanted to know how you knew him."
Daphne was taken aback at the force in the question, but did not snap at the girl. "I have known him for a… while." She replied evasively. "But I do not see why it should matter to you."
"Oh, I was just asking." Hermione backpedalled reflexively, realising she had made a mistake. "I read about the Boy-who-lived who kidnapped by Sirius Black. It was all there in Recent Events of the twenty-first century."
Daphne's eyes narrowed at the insult to Sirius. She knew if Granger had spoken the same words in the hearing range of Ares, her four years of bullying would seem like heaven after he was done with her. "Sirius Black did not kidnap him. He was his godfather and, legally, had the rights to Ares after the death of the Potters. He simply did what he thought was best for Ares."
Hermione narrowed her eyes, deliberately ignoring the warning in Daphne's voice. "He changed his name to Ares Black. I thought that was a… insult to his parent's memory, considering that the Potters died to protect him from You-Know-Who."
"Irrelevant." Daphne countered, feeling anger rise at the… ignorance of the girl sitting next to her. "What you speak of are matters pertaining to the House of Black. And irrespective of what you or me might think, what matters is that Harry James Potter is now Ares James Black. Would that be all?" The last words held a sharp note of warning. She was irritated at the presumptuousness of Granger. Sometimes, she wondered why she didn't attend Beauxbatons, giving her a chance to get away from the incredibly-biased government of Britain and the sub-par teaching at Hogwarts.
Hermione did not miss the tone in Daphne's voice, acknowledging the clear invitation to either change the topic of the conversation… or bugger off. "Of course, I was just… interested, that's all." She paused for a moment, wondering if she should reveal what she knew. Taking a moment to decide her course, she said "I was only wondering about his… skills, considering his performance after the Transfiguration class."
"Excuse me?" Daphne asked, rather sharply.
Hermione widened her eyes. It seemed like Black hadn't mentioned it to Greengrass yet. She did not want to reveal her snooping but she had to learn about the student who seemed to effortlessly surpass her in class. "Professor McGonagall had a duel with Black after that class. Black was casting silently, and using advanced conjuration and transfiguration, which is taught during NEWT education. He couldn't possibly be all that advanced."
Ah. She was snooping after class. Should have known. Daphne was going to have some choice words with her boyfriend when she next saw him. "Well, I suppose Ares has a habit of being an over-achiever." she drawled.
"But he shouldn't be able to do that." Hermione nearly stomped her feet. "I have read all about the use of the animatus charm in conjuration, and it is incredibly difficult." She was outright hissing at the end.
"And that is a problem, how?" Daphne challenged, regretting her choice to allow Granger to sit beside her. She should have known the girl would have been fishing for information on Ares, especially after he had trumped her efforts.
"No, I was just… interested and-"
"Hey Daphne, mind if I sit here?" Daphne glanced up to see Theo standing there, the ghost of a smirk on his face. "I wanted your help in understanding Nozdrin's Derivative Folding Measures." It was impossible that Theo needed help on that topic, since he was the one to tutor Daphne on the topic the previous year.
"Uh, sure." She glanced towards Granger, who seemed to be confused. "Well, it was nice talking to you, but could you…?" She gestured to another desk, silently asking her to move.
"Oh." Granger seemed to realize Daphne's intentions. She looked up at Nott. "Nozdrin? I did read about her in Space within Space and Derivatives of Arithmancy in Charms. Perhaps I could-"
"I think Daphne will do just fine." Theo replied, firmly denying her help.
A darker shade flashed across Hermione's eyes for a moment, before she agreed and left her seat. Theo took her seat beside Daphne.
"You are a life-saver, Theo." Daphne replied. Theo just smirked as Hermione glowered at him from two desks away.
"What was it all about?" He asked. Daphne looked quite irritated from his perch on the next desk.
"Interrogation." Daphne sneered. "Probing into Ares's past and my association with him."
"Your thoughts?" Theo asked, as he passed a measuring glance towards the resident bookworm. He drew his wand and subtly cast a few privacy wards.
Daphne smiled. Behind that introvert façade, there was a ruthlessly intelligent boy in Theodore Nott. "Dumbledore's using her to probe into Ares's past."
"Oh." Theo's eyes widened before turning pensive. Looking at her, he asked, hesitation clear in his voice. "Daphne, is Ares… you know, against… the Dark Lord?"
"Joining your father, Theo?" Daphne probed back, wondering if Theo was under pressure. While Theo had no love or muggles, he was certainly not a budding Death Eater.
"Hardly." Theo waved away. "My father isn't like Lucius Malfoy. He knows and understands that my views do not align with the Dark Lord's agenda."
"Then why the question?" Daphne frowned at his reply
"My father was asking." Theo answered honestly. Much to Daphne's mirth, Theo looked indignant. She knew about the debates that frequently happened between him and his father. "What? I might not agree with his politics, but I am still his son. Harry Potter returning to Hogwarts is a BIG issue. I'm surprised that the reporters aren't already banging at the gates for interviews." He paused. "Ares certainly hasn't helped matters."
Daphne frowned. "Whatever Ares did, it was on purpose."
"Blaise thinks so too." Theo admitted.
"And you?"
"I think…" Theo paused to gather his words. "I think he is playing too many cards close to his chest. He might be powerful, but he hasn't been in Britain all these years. Things might turn pretty bad if he isn't careful."
Daphne had a sneaking suspicion that it was exactly what Ares and his prankster of a father wanted in the first place.
"However," Theo continued, oblivious to her thoughts. "You do realize that misdirection won't help you to ignore my question."
Daphne smirked.
"So… what is his position?"
"It's… complicated." Daphne returned with a small frown. "Sirius Black is against Albus Dumbledore and the Dark Lord. Ares, on the other hand, is against neither of them."
Theo frowned at her answer. How could he not be against either manipulator? Unless… "You mean-"
"Ares truly doesn't care about what's going on Britain, and wouldn't care even if Dumbledore, the Dark Lord and the Minister go to a shed and had an orgy with goats." Daphne smirked at the disgusted expression on Theo's face. "But he will come down on anyone that hurt the people close to him. And he will come down with overwhelming force."
Theo thought on her words. "His loved ones… Sirius Black, and you?"
Daphne blushed. "I like to think so."
"Interesting." Theo commented, knowing Daphne's doubts were for naught. "The Boy-who-lived, Heir of the Houses of Potter and Black, Parselmouth and the Lord of Slytherin… and Neutral at that. I suppose Black will be taking up seats at the Wizengamot in the September session then?"
"I really… couldn't say." Daphne answered carefully, not wanting to commit to any answer
"Noted." Theo countered. "My father will be interested to know that."
Daphne cocked her head in thought. "Isn't that like sending the information to the Dark Lord?"
"Not really." Theo corrected with a frown. "My father has been a financial supporter of the Dark Lord, not an active Death Eater, despite the… Mark." He frowned distastefully at the word. He was disgusted about the fact that proud pureblood Lords would stoop so low as to allow themselves to be marked like slaves. "He is intelligent enough to understand that his… investment… in the Dark Lord's campaign has been a loss to the Nott fortune."
"It wouldn't matter when the Dark Lord returns though, would it?" Daphne asked. "Your father would have to support him."
"Not if he already has several… contingencies in place. Given the tide of events, I can hope for some surprises." Theo grinned.
Daphne fell into contemplation as Professor Vector walked into class, wondering if Ares and Sirius were expecting these reactions. And supressed a shudder at what they had planned for Britain. She knew one thing for certain, Britain would not be the same once the two were done. Why did I fall in love with a Marauder? Giving herself a firm mental shake to clear her head, she began writing down the points dictated by the professor.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: (22-12-2017) ever wonder how much you can write before you tire… Not me. I've got pages to go and words to write.
Skadarken: Oh, hell! The guy's on a sugar rush.
Nah! Just a bottle or two. Or was that three? No, wait. I remember there being four, but didn't I have five….
Skadarken: Moving on. What your thoughts on our attempt at giving voice to other member of our cast? Do share them. There's a review box big enough to take your opinions.
I GOT IT! It was seven on seven. Good. No worries, people. I'm alright. Just wondering if I should pair Albus and Bella together. Do you guys think it's a good pairing? Or should I go with Voldemort and Tonks?
Skadarken: RUN! Save your sanity. Mind bleach won't help you guys if you stay.
Hey, Skadarken. What do you thi-
*Due to technical issues, the chapter has been uploaded with an incomplete AN.*