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Chapter Text

Aedus Eli Potter was pushing his trolley along with his parents, Charlus and Dorea Potter, and older brother, James Potter, who would be starting his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

James had spent the whole summer telling his younger brother how great it would be to live at Hogwarts, described the four Houses, leaking his own opinion about each one, and talked about his best friends and his future girlfriend and wife, Lily Evans.

Aedus wasn't so sure about that last thing, but however.

After their arrival at the platform, James said goodbye to his parents, ruffled Aedus' hair and disappeared, looking for his friends.

Aedus smiled awkwardly at his parents.

Charlus put a hand on his shoulder. "Let's settle you in a carriage."

Aedus nodded gratefully.

Together, they loaded the trunk into the first empty compartment they could find, and Aedus began to tug nervously at the sleeve of his light green sweater, which matched his eyes.

"Aedus, are you alright? Are you worried about the sorting?" His mother, Dorea, asked, bending down to be able to see his face.

Aedus bit his lip. "What if they put me in Slytherin, mum?"

Dorea laughed before saying. "I was a Slytherin, Aedus. And I'm proud of it. Salazar Slytherin admired the ambitious, the cunning and the clever. And I'm sure you are all of those things. Many of your ideas are, that's sure."

Aedus blushed and Charlus crouched next to his wife.

"Wherever you end, we will be proud of you, Aedus."

Aedus hugged his parents one last time, before saying goodbye and watching them get off the train and take their places on the platform.

He then recognized the man his father had started talking to.

Bartemius Crouch Sr. was the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

Aedus had never directly spoken to him, but he knew that he didn't hold much opinion of his father.

From descriptions of him, and from what he hardly said, Crouch seemed somewhat megalomaniac and intensely concerned with presenting the appearance of respectability, a narrow-minded and inflexible man who rigidly followed the rules.

His father especially despised his allowing Aurors to cast the killing curses.

Beside him, with bowed head, was a pale boy of eleven, with straw-coloured hair, brown eyes and freckles.

Next to him stood, the wife of the Ministry employee holding her hand on her son's shoulder.

It was she who accompanied him on the train, a slight farewell from his father, and then the boy and his mother disappeared from sight of the youngest Potter.

Aedus just watched his father and Crouch Sr talk, while his mother watched the others on the platform.

She stiffened first, soon followed by the other man and her husband.

Aedus followed their gaze to find the entire Black family.

Two families. The first one, of Walburga and Orion, and the other, with Cygnus and Druella Rosier in Black as parents.

Cygnus and Druella's family had three daughters, Andromeda, Bellatrix and Narcissa.

All three advanced with haughty, proud steps.

Aedus wondered if it was genetic in the Black family, or if they were forced to learn how to always be regal.

Shifting his gaze to the other family, he ignored the parents to focus on the two children.

Sirius Black, his brother's best friend, was tall, thin, and quite handsome.

He had long dark hair, piercing gray eyes, and an attitude of "casual elegance."

The boy who was following him must have been his younger brother, Regulus.

He had the same black hair and slightly haughty look as his brother, but he was a little shorter and thinner.

Aedus knew that Sirius and Regulus' parents had a preference for pure-blood wizards.

He'd also heard his father muttering how they admired Lord Voldemort and believed him to be a great dark wizard.

Aedus knew that some purebloods looked to the wizard as their salvation.

A Merlin came to save them.

Sighing, he ignored the rest of the people, grabbing a textbook from his trunk and starting to read.

Distracted as he was by reading, he only looked up when he heard the compartment door open, after the train had gained speed and left the platform behind.

In front of him, Regulus Black looked at him haughtily.

"Is this seat taken?"

Aedus shook his head. "It's all free."

Regulus nodded elegantly, before sitting down in front of him.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Regulus Black."

"Aedus Potter. The pleasure is mine."

Regulus' gaze narrowed.

He didn't seem to be a fan of his family.

However, he didn't say anything, just staring at the boy for a moment, before saying. "Since I can't sit with my cousins, I suppose you'll be an acceptable company, for the moment."

"Thanks, I suppose." Aedus answered, confused.

Regulus looked at him seriously. "I don't think we'll talk much, once you're sorted with your brother and I in Slytherin."

The door opened and Barty Crouch Jr entered. "Can I sit here? The rest of the train is full."

Regulus pointed to the place near Aedus, glaring at the boy.

"Bartemius Crouch Jr, but Barty is fine. Who are you?"

"Aedus Potter."

"Regulus Black."

Regulus and Barty's gaze met and they both pursed their lips.

"Fortunately, as I was saying to Potter, we will never speak again after this trip."

"And it will be for the best." Barty nodded.

Aedus nodded. "Right, House's clear sorting. In Gryffindor all the good ones, Slytherin is for the great evil, all the nerd are going in Ravenclaw and what's a Hufflepuff?"

Barty chuckled and Regulus raised an eyebrow. "Don't you think Slytherins are for the evil?"

"My mother is a Black and she was a Slytherin. I'd be quite hypocritical."

Regulus smiled for the first time.

While they were talking, the train had taken them out of London.

Now they ran along pastures full of cows and sheep.

They were silent for a while, watching the fields and lanes go by.

Around half past, they heard a great racket in the corridor, and a smiling woman, with two dimples in her cheeks, opened the compartment door and asked. "Do you want something from the trolley?"

Aedus was quick to take some chocolate frogs and pumpkin pasties, while Regulus took two packets of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Bean, and Barty some Liquorice Magic Wands.

While Aedus calmly ate his first pumpkin pasty, Barty grimaced at Regulus. "How can you eat those horrors, Black?"

Regulus barely looked at him, continuing to eat the sweets. "My taste buds are just better than yours, Crouch."

"Barty."

"My name is Regulus. You can call me Black."

Aedus snorted in amusement, and Barty looked at him. "Shut up, you've had a lot of chocolate, Aedus."

"Chocolate helps to circulate serotonin, known as the hormone of happiness, because it manages to activate the right synapses for good mental health. And, my name is Aedus Eli Potter, but you can call me oh great Aedus if you want. "

Barty burst out laughing and Regulus smiled slightly.

Aedus unwrapped a Chocolate Frog and took the figurine.

There was a man's face on it.

He wore half-moon glasses, had a long hooked nose and flowing silver hair, beard and mustache. Underneath, was written the name: Albus Dumbledore.

"I can't believe I have Dumbledore again!" Aedus complained, then continued. "I miss Agrippa, and I just can't find her."

At that moment, Regulus winced.

"Do you feel bad for my bad luck, or finally tasted a terrible taste. Like spinach, liver and tripe. Or boogers."

Barty looked wide-eyed at Aedus. "Does boogers taste exist?"

"James swears he found it. The jury is still out on this one."

Regulus took a green jelly, looked at it carefully and bit one piece. "Bleaaah!... Brussels sprouts".

Now, the countryside that flashed before their eyes had grown wilder.

No more combed fields.

There were woods, winding rivers, and hills covered in dark green vegetation.

Someone knocked on their compartment door.

"Excuse me," he said, "did you see a toad?" When they shook their heads he said. "I lost it! Keep running away!"

"Why don't you ask a Prefect to summon it for you, Longbottom?" asked Aedus, having recognized Frank Longbottom. He was a very good wizard, but a little clumsy and forgetful. Who, according to James, was losing a lot of his things everywhere.

"Oh, that's a great idea, thank you, Aedus." Frank smiled at them before leaving.

"How it is in the third year, not knowing about the summons spell is beyond comprehension." Regulus commented and Barty shrugged. "He is a Gryffindor. They can't think."

Regulus snorted in amusement and Aedus chuckled.

A voice rang throughout the train. " We'll be arriving at Hogwarts in five minutes. Please leave your luggage on the train; it will be taken to the school buildings separately ."

The three boys slipped into their uniforms. They stuffed the last remaining sweets into their pockets and joined the crowd that filled the corridor.

After slowing down, the train finally stopped.

People jostled towards the window and then descended onto the narrow, dark sidewalk.

Aedus shivered in the freezing night air.

Then, above the heads of the students, a light came on, and they heard themselves say. "First year! First year this way!"

Against the light, a gigantic man stood out.

His face was almost hidden by a long, unkempt mane and an unkempt, tangled beard, but you could make out his eyes, which glittered like black beetles under all that fur.

"That's Hagrid, the castle gamekeeper." Barty commented and Regulus snorted. "I've heard that he's kind of keeper, I hear he's kind of a savage... he lives in a cabin on the school compound. Every now and then he gets drunk, tries to do magic and ends up setting fire to his bed."

"I think he's brilliant," Aedus commented, tilting his head.

Regulus shrugged. "I was just saying what I heard about him. I don't like prejudice being leveled at Slytherin, I would never level it at anyone else."

Hagrid's big hairy face beamed above the sea of heads. "Come on, follow me... Is there anyone else from the first year? And now watch where you step. The first years follow me!"

Slipping and stumbling, they followed Hagrid down what appeared to be a steep, narrow path.

On both sides the darkness was so thick that Aedus thought the path was lined with thick trees.

Nobody really wanted to talk.

"In a moment: first panoramic view of Hogwarts!" announced Hagrid, speaking over his shoulder, "here, around this bend!"

There was a chorus of "Ohhhh!"

The narrow path had suddenly opened up at the edge of a great black lake.

Perched atop a high mountain in the background, its windows glowing brightly against the star-filled sky, was a large castle with many towers and

turrets.

"No more than four per boat," Hagrid warned, pointing to a fleet of small craft in the water near shore.

Aedus, Barty and Regulus sat together.

"Everyone on board?" shouted Hagrid who had his own boat. "Good... Let's go!"

And the little boats left the shore, gliding across the lake as smooth as glass.

Everyone was silent, their gaze fixed on the great castle that overlooked them.

It towered over them as they approached the cliff on which it was perched.

"Down the head!" shouted Hagrid as the first boats reached the reef; the boys complied, and the boats carried them through a curtain of ivy which hid a large opening in the front of the cliff itself.

Then they went through a long dark tunnel, which seemed to lead straight under the castle, and finally they reached a sort of underground port where they climbed between rocks and stones.

They clambered up a rock passage, preceded by Hagrid's lamp, and finally emerged onto the soft, damp grass, right in the castle's shadow.

They climbed the stone stairway and crowded in front of the immense oak door.

"All of us are here?"

Hagrid raised his giant fist and knocked three times.

Chapter Text

The door swung open instantly.

A tall, raven-haired witch dressed in emerald green was awaiting for them.

She had a very stern face, and Aedus' first thought was this: she is a person who I must not come across.

"Here are the first years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.

"Thanks, Hagrid. I'll take them from here."

She flung the door open.

The entrance hall was huge. The stone walls were lit by flaming torches like those of Gringotts, the ceiling was so high that they were barely visible, and in front of them a sumptuous marble staircase led to the upper floors.

The new students followed Professor McGonagall across the flagstone floor.

Aedus could hear the hum of hundreds of voices coming from a door to the right - the rest of the students must have already arrived - but the teacher led them into an empty room, beyond the entrance hall.

They crowded inside, much more crowded than they normally would have done, looking around all nervous.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," said the professor. "The first banquet of the year will take place shortly, but before taking your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your dormitories. The Sorting is a very important ceremony, because for as long as you spend here at Hogwarts, your House will be a bit like your family. You will attend classes with your House, sleep in your House dormroom and spend your free time in your House’s Common Room. The four Houses are named Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each has its noble history and each has produced first-rate witches and wizards. For the time you stay at Hogwarts, the triumphs you earn will win your House points, while any violation of the rules will cause it to lose points. At the end of the year, the House with the most points will be awarded a cup, which is a great honor. I hope that each of you will give prestige to the House to which you will be destined. The Sorting Ceremony will start in a few minutes, in front of all the other students. In the meantime, I suggest you make yourself as beautiful as possible".

Her gaze swept through all the boys.

Aedus was ready to bet that she was memorizing all the students who would not respect her standards of presentability .

"I'll be back as soon as we're ready for the ceremony," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait here in silence."

She walked out of the room.

Aedus raised an eyebrow, not surprised when Regulus commented. "Does she really expect us to just follow her orders, just because she said so?"

Barty shrugged. "My father speaks very highly of her."

"Well, my parents for nothing." Regulus replied curtly. "And neither are any of my cousins."

About twenty ghosts had just entered the room, passing through the wall.

Pearly white and slightly transparent, they glided around the room talking to each other and hardly looking at the first years.

It looked like they were arguing.

What looked like a fat little monk was saying. "I say we have to forgive and forget; we have to give it another chance..."

"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserved? He just brings our name into disrepute, and besides, you know, he's not even a real ghost... Hey, what are you doing here?" A ghost in leotards and a ruff had suddenly noticed the first years.

No one answered.

"New students!" said the Fat Friar embracing everyone with a smile. "Waiting to be sorted, I suppose."

Some nodded quietly.

"I hope to see you all in Hufflepuff!" said the friar. "You know? It was my house."

"And now, clear out!" commanded a harsh voice. "The Sorting Ceremony is about to begin."

Professor Mcgonagall was back.

One by one, the ghosts vanished through the opposite wall.

"Get in line and follow me," ordered the teacher to the first year students.

Aedus, Regulus and Barty lined up behind a sandy-haired boy.

They left the room, crossed the hall again, passed a pair of double doors, and entered the Great Hall.

Aedus, though he had heard the stories from his parents and brother, could not understand how such a splendid and amazing place could exist.

It was lit by thousands upon thousands of candles suspended in midair above four long tables, around which the other students sat. The tables were set with glittering gold plates and goblets. At the far end of the room was another long table, around which the teachers were seated.

It was there that Professor Mcgonagall accompanied the students of the first year, so that, still all in line, they stopped in front of the other students, with their backs to the teachers.

In the flickering candlelight, the hundreds of faces looking up at them looked like so many pale lanterns. Here and there, among the students, ghosts dotted the hall like hazy silver lights.

Aedus saw his older brother greet him cheerfully, and he even saw Frank proudly show his toad to him.

Professor Mcgonagall had quietly placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she placed a pointed, wizard's hat. It was an old, patched hat, worn and stained.

For a few seconds absolute silence reigned.

Then the hat twitched.

A tear near the edge gaped like a mouth, and he began to sing:

Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,

But don't judge on what you see,

I'll eat myself if you can find

A smarter hat than me.

You can keep your bowlers black,

Your top hats sleek and tall,

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

And I can cap them all.

There's nothing hidden in your head

The Sorting Hat can't see,

So try me on and I will tell you

Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve and chivalry

Set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffs are true

And unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,

If you've a ready mind,

Where those of wit and learning,

Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin

You'll make your real friends,

Those cunning folk use any means

To achieve their ends.

So put me on! Don't be afraid!

And don't get in a flap!

You're in safe hands (though I have none)

For I'm a Sorting Hat!

As soon as he finished his song, the whole Great Hall erupted in thunderous applause.

The Hat bowed to each of the four tables and then went still.

At that point, Professor Mcgonagall stepped forward holding in hand a long roll of parchment.

"When I call your name, you will put your hat on and you will sit on the stool to be sorted,” she explained.

Aedus ignored the appeal, until the professor screamed. "Black, Regulus."

From his place, Regulus advanced with confidence and elegance, until he sat down on the stool and allowed the professor to place the hat on his head.

Seconds later, the hat exclaimed. "SLYTHERIN!"

Aedus saw the Slytherin table cheering festively, and particularly he recognized the cheering of his cousins and a blond guy, whom he assumed was the son of Abraxas Malfoy.

His inattention to sorting returned when he heard the call "Carrow, Alecto" followed shortly after by the twin "Carrow, Amycus" both in Slytherin.

Finally it was the turn of "Crouch, Bartemius Jr."

Barty shivered over to the seat, let his hat rest on his head, and then heaved a clear sigh of relief when he yelled. "RAVENCLAW!"

The Ravenclaw table cheered their new student, and Aedus gave the boy a thumbs up as their eyes met.

At leas t, he thought, Regulus wouldn't stop talking to Barty just because of his House .

Of all the others, Ravenclaw and Slytherin shared many traits and characteristics.

After many students had been sorted into the four Houses, finally, Professor McGonagall called. "Potter, Aedus."

As Aedus approached the stool, he could see James smile from the Gryffindor table and Regulus grimace from the Slytherin table.

The last thing Aedus saw before the hat covered his eyes was the room full of people looking at him.

The next moment, he was plunged into darkness.

He waited.

" Um.. ." a small voice whispered in his ear. “ Hard. Very hard. I see courage to spare. And not even a brain to throw away. There's talent, oh boy, yeah... and a good desire to prove yourself. Very interesting... So, where do I put you? "

Aedus thought. "Are you reading my mind? How does this work?"

" Ravenclaw, out of curiosity. Ambition to spare too. You have many ideas in your head, young Potter. You could become great, you know: here, in your head, there is everything, and Slytherin would help you on the way to greatness, there is no doubt... SLYTHERIN ! "

Aedus heard the hat shout the last word to the entire hall.

He shrugged it off and stumbled over to the Slytherin table, trying to ignore the absolute silence that had fallen.

The first Potter who didn't end up in Gryffindor.

As he walked, Regulus was the first to start applauding his sorting, which made his Housemates start a loud cheer as well.

As he sat next to Regulus, with no one on either side, he could clearly see James pale face, before the Gryffindor firmly turned his bac k at him.

Swallowing, he looked at the authorities table.

At the end closest to him sat Hagrid, in the center, on a large gold chair, sat Albus Dumbledore, then at the back several professors were busy talking.

As the professor called the last student, a Hufflepuff, Aedus whispered to Regulus. "Regulus, who is the professor who is staring at me all happy?"

Regulus snorted in amusement. "That's Horace Slughorn. Potion’s professor and Head of Slytherin House."

"The one from the Slug Club, right?" asked Aedus, who had heard the stories from his mother.

"That's him. You just added a Potter to his collection. He's very happy about it."

Aedus nodded, before looking into his golden plate and sawing it empty.

Albus Dumbledore had risen to his feet.

He smiled at the students with a radiant look, arms outstretched, as if nothing could please him more than seeing them all gathered there.

"Welcome!" he said. "Welcome to the new school year at Hogwarts! Before starting our banquet, I would like to say a few words. Namely: Pine cone, pinch, muff, tiger! Thank you!"

And he sat down again.

Everyone clapped their hands and cheered enthusiastically.

"But... is he a little crazy?" he asked uncertainty of no one in particular.

The boy in front of him, Lestrange, laughed. "Absolutely crazy. According to my father he should resign. He was headmaster even in his time."

Aedus sighed, and the boy next to Lestrange, Thorfinn Rowle, shrugged. "It could have been worse. The headmaster of Durmstrang is a coward and the headmaster of Beauxbatons is a hybrid of some kind."

Regulus stopped the conversation, asking Aedus. "Potatoes, Aedus?"

Aedus accepted.

He realized that many were listening to their conversation, perhaps trying to determine how Potter he was by their standards.

In particular, one student with black hair, a hooked nose, and busy talking to Lucius Malfoy, had looked at him with something akin to hatred.

He must not have been a fan of his big brother. Or perhaps his father had arrested one of his relatives.

Aedus filled his plate with a little of everything except mint sweets and began to eat.

It was all delicious.

"It looks all very tasting," commented a ghost, watching him cut a steak. "I haven't eaten for about a thousand years, maybe even more." continued the ghost. "Of course, I don't need to, but one ends up missing these things. Maybe I didn't introduce myself. I'm the Bloody Baron, the official ghost of Slytherin."

" A thousand years? Or even more ? You witnessed the first construction of Hogwarts, then?" Aedus asked, after having swallowe d a portion of food.

The ghost nodded. "Indeed. I was among the first Slytherins, and Salazar himself taught me."

This definitely attracted the attention of the other students, and perhaps a little approval of Aedus.

Then, the Baron moved to speak to another ghost that had been demanding his attention, and one of the third-year Slytherins tapped Aedus on the shoulder.

"Hey, I’m Dorcas Meadowes. Third year. Congrats on getting the Baron talking. Usually he just whines."

Aedus shrugged, before looking at the girl in front of Lucius. "Maybe it's for the company."

Dorcas laughed as she leaned over the group of first years. "That's Dolores Jane Umbridge. She and Lucius Malfoy are this year's Slytherin prefects, but every fifth year two prefects are chosen for each House. Besides those two, next in line for Head Girl is Andromeda Black."

Dorcas pointed to the girl in question.

Aedus nodded, reading the implication: of all, Andromeda was the best choice.

"Or, you can turn to Professor Slughorn. He's always willing to help his students in need. The other teachers are a bit… they have prejudice."

Aedus nodded.

He knew perfectly well what certain professors could be like.

Slytherins were labeled as the bad guys and the guilty ones and, in his brother's case, as the ones to be targeted.

When everyone had eaten their fill, the scraps of food disappeared from the plates, leaving them as clean and shiny as before. A moment later the sweets appeared.

Mountains of ice cream in every imaginable flavor, apple pies, honey pastries, chocolate cream puffs and jam donuts, trifle, strawberries, jelly, rice puddings...

Dorcas continued. "May I tell you, Aedus, I was surprised you ended up in Slytherin?"

"I'm clever, ambitious and also smart. I take after my mom." Aedus shrugged, making the st udents who were listening laugh.

Finally the sweets also disappeared and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again.

Silence fell in the hall.

"Um... just a few words, now that we're all full of food and drink. I have some announcements for the beginning of the year. First year students must remember that access to the forest around here is prohibited for all pupils And some of the older students would do well to remember this too"

And Dumbledore's sparkling eyes shocked a glance in the direction of the Gryffindor table.

"Also, Mr Filch, the warden, has asked me to remind you all that it is forbidden to use magic between classes in the corridors. The Quidditch trials will be held during the second week of the school year. Anyone interested in playing for your dormitory team please contact Madam Hooch."

Aedus glanced at his brother, sure none of his new friends would notice.

James seemed content to laugh with Sirius Black, not even a glance at his brother.

Indeed, Aedus could see his back clearly, a sign that he had switched places with who he recognized as Remus Lupin.

"And now, before we go to bed, let's sing the school anthem!" cried Dumbledore.

Aedus noticed that the smiles of the other teachers had frozen on his lips.

With a look at the rest of the table, he realized that many of his new companions had also put on proud expressions, clearly indicating that they would not make a single sound.

Dumbledore flicked his wand, as if trying to swat a fly off the tip, and out came a long ribbon of gold that shot high into the air, over the tables, and began to writhe like a snake, forming words.

"Everyone chooses the tune he likes best," said Dumbledore. "Sing!"

The whole school chanted:

“Hogwarts Hogwarts Hoggy Warty Hogwarts

Teach us something please

Whether we be old and bald or young with scabby knees

Our heads could do with filling with some interesting stuff

For now they're bare and full of air

Dead flies and bits of fluff

So teach us things worth knowing

Bring back what we've forgot

Just do your best, we'll do the rest and learn until our brains all rot”

Everyone finished the song at different times.

Dumbledore directed the last lines with his wand and, in the end, he was one of the loudest clappers.

"Ah, the music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic that surpasses all we do here! And now, it's time for bed. Off to run."

Pushing their way through the crowd that still lingered in chatter, the first-year Slytherins followed Lucius and Dolores.

As he walked, Aedus tried to catch his brother's eye, but James firmly ignored him.

They left the Great Hall and went down to the dungeons.

At the far end of the corridor, a portrait of a snake hung.

"The password?" he asked.

"The Great Salazar." The girl spoke, in a shrill voice, making Aedus wince.

The portrait detached itself from the wall, revealing a circular opening.

They all passed and came out in the Slytherin common room, a welcoming room with a round plan, full of soft armchairs.

Lucius pointed the girls to a door that led to their dormitory, and another to the boys.

But, as the rest of the House entered as well. Aedus recognized Dorcas Meadowes, Bellatrix Black, Andromeda and what must be Narcissa.

The two prefects began to talk.

"Slytherin House is one of the most prestigious houses in the entire school. Slytherin doesn't appreciate the lazy, the ignorant and those who lap in anticipation." Lucius had glanced at the boy he had talked to at dinner, the one who had looked at him with contempt Aedus, who nodded.

"This house appreciates cunning, intelligence and ambition." Dolores continued, speaking in her high-pitched voice. "If you don't have these overarching principles, I'm afraid Slytherin is not the house for you. Ehm ehm."

Aedus still grimaced. He hoped that Lucius would soon start talking again, and never give the word back to his colleague.

"Obviously, the Hat sorted you here, and that tells us you must have those qualities somewhere." Dolores smiled, pretended to cough, and continued. "None of us will have a problem… on nurturing those qualities, making them manifest."

Lucius, to Aedus' relief, spoke again. "Slytherin, noble as it is, has a bad reputation with the other Houses. We are the targets of other students, the scapegoat of the professors. Always go around in groups of at least three, do not ignore anyone in need. Any disagreements must be resolved within the walls of the House. Outside, there must be no problems."

Lucius looked coldly at all the students.

"Don't give others excuses to deduct points from our House. They've got enough ideas already."

Everyone nodded, extremely serious.

"Excellent. Tomorrow morning, Professor Slughorn will deliver your schedules. If you have any problems, don't hesitate to ask one of the prefects for assistance."

Seeing that no one was moving, Lucius smiled. "You can go."

Aedus followed  Regulus to the door of the men's dormitories that read 'first year'.

Five poster beds surrounded by dark green velvet curtains.

Their trunks had already been carried up.

Aedus, settling down by the window overlooking the Black Lake, or rather, its bottom, whispered together with Regulus. "What did Dolores mean?"

Regulus grimaced, before looking at their three roommates and muttering. "Give her no reason to show it to you, Aedus. I know my cousin would be thrilled."

Aedus nodded. "Good night." He added, loud enough for the other three to hear as well.

After drawing the curtains around her bed, he thought he would write home the next day, and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Chapter Text

The next morning, Aedus left the dormitory a lot before his roommates to go write a letter for his parents.

The snowy owl, Hedwig, clicked her beak at him affectionately when she saw him enter the Owlery.

"Hi, Hedwig. I'm in Slytherin, did they tell you?"

After stroking her feathers, gently, Aedus took out the parchment and the quill.

Dear Mum and Dad,

Yesterday I was sorted into Slytherin. I hope this doesn't disappoint you as you stated yesterday at the binary.

If it does, please don't send a Howler.

If it doesn't, please send a Howler.

I should be able to talk to James today, since I didn't have the chance yesterday.

I will write to you at the end of the week for updates.

With love,

Aedus

Then, the boy tied the letter to his owl's leg, gave her a final caress and watched her fly away towards home.

Looking at his watch he realized it was still very early, but he headed towards the Great Hall anyway, deciding to wait for his brother there.

When he entered, he saw one of his brother’s friends, Remus Lupin, with a book open in front of him.

"Hello, you are Remus, right?"

The boy looked up, nodding at Aedus, his gaze falling on the green tie.

"I'm Aedus, James' younger brother. Do you happen to know when he comes down?"

Remus looked at him, this time something soft and pitying in his gaze.
"He and Sirius were getting ready while I came down. You can wait for him here, if you're not in a hurry."

Aedus smiled, before looking at the table, unsure. “If I sit down, will the bench riot and set me on fire?”

Remus chuckled. "It won't. There are no rules that prevent students from sitting at other tables. Only during the final and initial parties and banquets is it imperative to sit with your House."

"Oh. I didn't know." Aedus commented, sitting down in front of Remus.

His gaze fell on the boy's hand. "Does it hurt? Do you need anything for the pain?"

Remus gasped, his gaze going to his hand, and then to him. "No, it's fine. I already went to see Madam Pomfrey this morning. Thanks, though."

Soon after, James and Sirius sat down next to Remus, losing their smiles when they saw Aedus.

"You're at the wrong table." James said coldly.

Aedus looked at Remus, and then at his brother. "Remus just said that there are no rules preventing someone from sitting with friends from other Houses."

"But we're not your friends." Sirius said, coldly.

Aedus looked at James, saying. "But I'm your brother ."

"Not with those colors ." James said, raising an eyebrow. "Go away."

Aedus blinked, hurt.

"Aedus."

He turned around.

Lucius Malfoy was staring at him, coldly. “Let's go to our breakfast table.”

Nodding, the boy stood up.

"This behavior is not accepted in Slytherin." Lucius whispered to him, walking.

“Talk to your family?” Aedus asked.

Lucius stared at him coldly. "We'll talk about it later, be sure of this."

And he left him alone, going to sit next to Bellatrix and Lestrange, who then all stared at him, with a small smile on their lips.

Aedus thought he would soon find out what happened to those who broke the rules.

He sat down, sighing in relief when he saw Regulus.

“You left early.” He greeted him.

"I sent a letter home." Aedus explained, before continuing. "And I think I made Malfoy angry."

"What have you done?" Regulus looked scared.

"He caught me talking to James."

Regulus swallowed, then looking at Lucius and his cousin. "Maybe if Narcissa intervenes on your behalf, you can avoid punishment for once."

"The punishment? For talking to my brother?"

"He's a Gryffindor who isn’t even liked here. You can only talk to your friends in Ravenclaw. Hufflepuffs are accepted in case of joint classes. Gryffindors are not. Never ."

Aedus sighed. "It won't be pleasant, will it?"

Regulus shook his head. “How long did you talk to them?”

"Not much. A couple of minutes, maximum five."

Regulus sighed. "I'll talk to Narcissa."

At that moment, their classmates sat down next to them, and Slughorn began to walk around the table to give lessons.

Arriving at the first year group, he chuckled. "Regulus Black and Aedus Potter! What an incredible match!"

He handed them their timetables, and Aedus saw that they had Transfigurations, followed by Herbology, before lunch. After, only Charms and, in the evening, Astronomy.

"Unfortunately, we will only see each other tomorrow morning!"

Slughorn left muttering what a shame it was.

“Truly a collector.” Aedus commented, saying. "Almost all of our lessons are with Ravenclaw."

"I know." Regulus nodded, then said. "Gryffindor and Slytherin should never be put together. Only with Defense Against the Dark Arts will we share lessons with them, for all seven years."

"So Slytherin with Ravenclaw and Gryffindor with Hufflepuff." Aedus understood and Regulus nodded.

The two stood up, knowing they would have to go back to the dorms to get their books.

"Before lunch, I would change the books and bring the Charms bag. Fortunately, we don't have classes until six in the evening, otherwise Astronomy would be very difficult to follow."

Sitting in the front row for the Transfiguration class, Professor McGonnagal began with a speech as they sat down to listen to her first lecture.

"Transfiguration is one of the most complex and dangerous subjects you will learn at Hogwarts," she said. "Anyone who makes a mess in my classroom will be expelled and will never be allowed back in. You have been warned."

She then transformed her teacher's desk into a pig and back again.

Everyone was very impressed and couldn't wait to get started, but they soon realized that it would take quite some time before they would be able to transform a piece of furniture into an animal.

They took a bunch of complicated notes, after which they were each given a match that they had to try to turn into a needle.

At the end of the lesson, only Regulus and Aedus had completed the task, earning five points each.

Then, during Herbology, they had to dig in the earth to plant the seeds of a small plant, probably poisonous, and listen to Professor Sprout explain the merits of manual work in her class.

After they had freshened up and had lunch, Aedus and Regulus headed to Charms class, where Flitwick, from atop his pile of books, explained how his course worked, what he would explain, and finally assigned the first chapter for homework.

After it was all over, Aedus and Regulus said their goodbyes to Barty and headed towards the common room.

Inside, Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Black were waiting for them.

"Aedus Potter." Malfoy greeted him, who then pointed to the third boy, the one who had looked at Aedus full of hatred the night before. "This is Severus Snape, I don't think you know each other."

Aedus shook his head, holding his hand. "My pleasure. Aedus Potter."

Severus looked at the hand offered in disgust, before nodding his head politely.

Aedus returned the gesture, lowering his hand.

Lucius smiled at the exchange. "Then you have some Slytherin qualities in you, Aedus."

"My mother is a Slytherin. I would use the past tense, but she has always been very proud of being a Slytherin." Aedus nodded and Bellatrix smiled. "She's a Black too. Too bad she married a Potter ."

"That seemed like an insult to my father." Aedus said and Bellatrix nodded. "It was, Potty boy."

"Your brother isn't well liked in Slytherin." Lucius said, before looking up. "It was a very short conversation though, and I could see that you were visibly upset about something. And, as everyone knows, the Potters have always been in Gryffindor."

Regulus looked relieved, but Lucius continued.

"However, you must be punished somehow. I hope you understand, Aedus, that it is not personal . It is only so as not to have a precedent."

Aedus frowned, but before he could ask, he felt a sharp pain rush through him.

He fell to his knees, as Severus Snape lowered his wand.

He had used the Cruciatus Curse on him.

In the castle .

A thirteen year old boy had used the Cruciatus Curse on an eleven year old.

Bellatrix laughed. "You didn't even make him scream , Sevvie. I'll take care of him, Lucius."

She raised her wand, and Aedus felt the pain rush through him again.

He didn't scream, he didn't cry, but it was unbearable .

"That's enough, Bella. It's more than enough."

Lucius stopped the torture, lifting Aedus up.

“Congratulations on not screaming.”

Aedus nodded, feeling his hands tremble, but hiding them in his sleeves.

"Go do your homework."

Aedus nodded and exited the common room.

Shortly after he heard Regulus' calls, once they were out of hearing range of the others, but this did not stop the boy, who, crying, began to run, without paying attention to where he was going.

When he reached an empty room, he locked himself in, collapsing and crying.

"Everything okay?"

He stood up suddenly, a girl with red hair and green eyes looking at him.

"Yes, everything is fine."

"I'm Lily Evans. Can I help you in any way?"

Aedus shook his head in terror.

Another Gryffindor .

He could not be found here.

"No, I just fell. Now, I have to go and study."

Aedus stood up, but his shaking hands caused the bag to fall to the floor.

"You're shaking ! Have you been hurt?"

Aedus shook his head, trying to put his bag over his shoulder once again. "Everything is fine, thank you."

"You must go to Madam Pomfrey, to check you."

"NO!"

Aedus screamed, knowing that the woman would detect the curse used and Aedus would be in even more trouble.

"I'm fine, don't bother yourself, Evans. I have to go, thanks."

Without giving her time to respond, he rushed out and kept running.

When he saw Andromeda, he ran to her. "Help, please."

He showed her his hands and the girl nodded. "Come with me."

Aedus followed her and Andromeda led him to a classroom full of potions and bandages.

"I help all the Slytherins who need to be... healed. What did you do?"

"I talked to my brother." Aedus explained, and Andromeda looked at him. "True, you're James' younger brother. I can't believe he left you alone with them ..."

"I'm not his brother if I wear green ." Aedus murmured, blinking back tears and sniffling at him.

"What? Sirius agreed to this ?"

Aedus nodded, then he said. "Remus didn't agree, but he still didn't say anything ."

"I'll talk to my cousin. And if he still thinks that way , then also I am not related to him."

"Don't worry. I can only hope that my parents don't react that way."

"They won't. Charlus and Dorea would never turn their backs on you for this."

Andromeda smiled and then Regulus entered breathlessly. " Aedus !"

He hugged him, before saying. "Snape and Bellatrix tortured him. He didn't even scream."

"Wow, impressive. My sister's curses are evil." Andromeda shook her head, before looking at Aedus’ hands. "I can't do much about the shaking, I’m sorry. It'll go away in the morning."

"At least for Potions I won't make a mess."

"I can excuse you for dinner and Astronomy, Aedus. If you're not feeling up to it." Andromeda said, her tone gentle.

"No. I'm fine." Aedus nodded. "It's pretty simple, I don't have to talk to the Gryffindors . And, the only one I wanted to talk to, doesn't want to talk to me . They can't torture me for too long , or the teachers will notice. I'll be fine ."

Andromeda nodded. "You'll be fine."

"Thank you." Aedus told her, before giving her a nod and walking out of the room.

Regulus joined him soon after. "Are you okay ? Your hands are shaking a lot ."

"Did you know? That this was the punishment?" Aedus asked and Regulus sighed. "It's the punishment they use in my house. It wasn't a wild guess to make."

"It's not good. Snape is thirteen !"

"I know. But we're Slytherin ."

"Let's go to dinner. Let's see if Barty has Astronomy with us afterwards."

Aedus entered and, when he met Lucius Malfoy's gaze, he smirked.

He was a Potter , he wouldn't let anyone tell him how to behave.

Anyone.

Chapter Text

The next morning, Aedus was insulting anyone who decided that having Astronomy in the late evening and then having to wake up at seven in the morning to eat breakfast and go to double Potions lessons was a good idea.

It wasn't .

Somehow, totally unfair according to Aedus, Regulus looked amazing , without having anything out of place.

Aedus, on the other hand, seemed to have lost a fight with a bear and a tiger at the same time.

Sitting at the breakfast table, he grabbed his and Regulus' coffee and stole Rabastan's, before he was sufficiently awake and functioning,

He opened his gaze to see their offended expressions.

"Sorry, sleepy." He murmured, before taking Carrow's coffee as well, making him sigh.

"I suppose we should supply Potty boy with some coffee." Alecto commented, making Amicus laugh.

"If you give me some coffee, Alecto, I'll even let you call me Potty boy." Aedus replied, making her blush and making the other first years laugh.

Then, Barty's voice. "Hi, guys! Ready for Potions?"

Aedus looked at him. "Why are you so disgustingly cheerful?"

"It's a beautiful day!" Barty pointed outside and Aedus looked. "It's cloudy."

“It's not raining, so it's a beautiful day.”

"I'm one step away from killing you." Aedus commented, taking a sip of pumpkin juice and starting to eat his breakfast.

"Come on, we'll lose our front row seats." Barty complained, pointing to his companions. "They're talking about stealing them!"

“If we're not there, they won't steal our seats.” Aedus pointed out and Regulus nodded. "And if they haven't yet realized that those places belong to us, I can explain what the difference is between Slytherin and Ravenclaw."

"That would be?" Barty asked and Aedus proposed. “Self-preservation?”

"Exactly. Aedus, bring those sandwiches with you. Let's go get our seats."

Regulus and Barty started towards the door, and Aedus commented. “If they pass through it, I'm not in the company of two other people and this means that I can't follow them.”

Rabastan laughed. "Let's go together, if they don't stop."

"I appreciate it."

Unfortunately, Regulus turned with a raised eyebrow, looking at Aedus who sighed, picked up two sandwiches and followed them.

"You two are miserable people." He announced to them as soon as he reached them.

"And you're too lazy ." Regulus commented, making Aedus gasp.

Laziness was not accepted.

"I think he's just tired." Barty laughed, frowning when he saw Aedus blink rapidly, before nodding. "I'm awake now."

"Very good." Regulus nodded, before looking at Aedus, who straightened his posture and walked as elegantly as Regulus.

Barty raised an eyebrow in confusion, but lost interest as soon as he saw the classroom.

“Dibs!” He sat down in the seat closest to the teacher's desk, followed by Aedus and lastly by Regulus.

When all the Ravenclaws and Slytherins had entered, Slughorn began to speak.

"You are here to learn the delicate science and exact art of Potions," he began. "Since no wand is waved here, many of you will be amazed to see that this is actual magic. I hope you all can see the beauty of the simmering cauldron, with its shimmering vapors, the delicate power of the liquids that they flow through human veins, bewitching the mind, bewitching the senses... Here you can learn to bottle fame, glory, and even death."

Slughorn smiled, looking at the whole class.

"Now, a few questions. Don't worry, I won't take away points if you can't answer me!"

He laughed at his joke, and some of the students smiled.

"What do I get if I pour powdered asphodel root into an infusion of mugwort?"

Aedus replied. "Asphodel and mugwort together make a soporific potion so powerful that it is called the Distillate of Living Death."

Slughorn laughed, delighted. "Very good! And where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar stone?"

"A bezoar is a stone found in the belly of goats and which saves from many poisons, sir." Aedus replied, making Slughorn nod, his eyes twinkling.

“And, what is the difference between Aconitum napellus and Aconitum lycoctonum?”

"They are the same plant, also known simply as aconite, sir." Aedus replied.

"Excellent! I would give fifteen well-deserved points to Slytherin, for Mr. Potter's correct answers!"

Regulus smiled at Aedus and Barty nudged him proudly.

Slughorn then rubbed his hands together.

"As you all should know, making potions is extremely difficult. Any ingredient could react very badly! So, I ask you all to use the cauldrons I have placed in front of you for this lesson and until you are ready. Thus, any explosion will not hit any of you!" He smiled, saying. “The bright side is that your cauldrons will last a lot longer and your parents won't be upset with the waste!”

Some laughter, especially from the Ravenclaw side.

But, unlike what they would have done with other teachers, also the Slytherins smiled amusedly.

Slughorn waved his wand.

Instructions appeared on the board.

"At the desk, prepare the potion to cure boils! You have no idea how you will want it when you are older!"

Without speaking, Aedus, Regulus, and Barty began to work, weighing the ingredients and stirring the cauldron.

When, at the end of the two hours, Slughorn passed their desk, he made a delighted noise.

" Oh, my ! Never seen such a perfect potion! The color, the smell, the steam ! My dear boys, you really understand potions! I'd say twenty points each for perfect execution!"

Lestrange winked at Aedus, who thought that he would tell his brother about him. Then the older Lestrange would probably report to Lucius and Bellatrix that he had made Slytherin earn 35 points in two hours.

He was relieved, and he resented being relieved.

As they packed up their backpacks, Slughorn approached their desk again.

"You see, dear boys, I have a little group for talented people. Just like the three of you are! Why don't you come to my party this Friday?"

Regulus replied. "It would be a real honor, Professor. I have heard only good things about your meetings."

Slughorn laughed in delight and sent them off to their next lesson.

To get from Potions to Defense there were two flights of stairs to climb and Aedus was happy to have truly woken up at that moment.

Professor Rosier was stricter than McGonagall and something told Aedus that he hated James too.

That something was the look of pure hatred he gave him when he read his last name.

He assigned them an essay for next time about the difference between magical Creatures and dark creatures, sneering as he said the word creatures that let Aedus know he wasn't a big fan of them.

He seemed to hate them in every way.

Lunch break didn't come soon enough, and Aedus wasn't surprised to see Barty following them.

"Are your Ravenclaw classmates tha t boring?" Regulus asked and Barty shrugged. “Their conversations aren't as intriguing as ours.”

Aedus laughed, amused.

As they sat down, Aedus certain his back was to the Gryffindors, Lucius Malfoy plopped down next to Aedus.

"Bartemius Crouch, correct?"

"Bartemius Crouch Jr . Although I simply prefer Barty ."

Lucius nodded towards him, before looking at Aedus.

"I heard you were invited to the prestigious SlugClub."

Aedus nodded, taking a sip of pumpkin juice.

"Excellent. I'm happy to see that you can be a true Slytherin too, Aedus. I hope there are no hard feelings?"

Aedus shook his head and Lucius smiled. "Very well."

Then, he saw Bellatrix waiting for him and stood up. "If you'll excuse me."

He walked away, his step silent.

"What a strange scene. Is this normal?" Barty asked and Aedus nodded. "Welcome to a Slytherin lunch."

"What a joy." The boy commented, before saying. "I expected a worse welcome."

"You're in Ravenclaw. For a Slytherin you make a pretty good friend." Regulus shrugged and Barty looked at Aedus. "It must be difficult. What about your brother? Isn't he a Gryffindor?"

Aedus shrugged at him. "I'm not his brother if I have a green tie around my neck."

Barty and Regulus exchanged a look and Regulus snorted. "Typical of my brother and his friends. Well, don't worry, Aedus."

“You have us!” Barty nodded, making Aedus smile in response and Regulus wrinkled his nose. “I was going to say, don't worry, you don't need someone so prejudiced around you.”

“And you have us.” Barty concluded.

"That wasn't included in my speech." Regulus contested.

"But it is in mine!"

Aedus laughed at them both.

"It's okay. I appreciate it."

Then he checked his school schedule time. "We have a flight after this. Shall we put our bags down before we go out?"

They both nodded.

The trio went down to the basement, to put down Regulus and Aedus' bags, before then going up to the Ravenclaw tower to put down Barty's.

As they went down, Barty was moaning. "All I needed was this: making a fool of myself astride a broomstick."

Regulus chuckled and Aedus patted him on the shoulder. “You don't know yet if you'll really make a fool of yourself.”

"So, what do I have? A thirty percent chance of not making a fool of myself?"

"Thirty?" Regulus asked, before shrugging. "That seems like too good a percentage. I'd say you're about ten."

Barty looked offended.

A burst of laughter made Aedus spin around.

James and Sirius were walking through the Great Hall, followed by Remus and Peter.

Aedus turned immediately.

There was no point in trying to talk to James.

They weren't brothers according to the Gryffindor one.

And Aedus would not humiliate himself further.

He wasn't going to continue to risk punishment for someone who didn't even want to deal with him.

The group had reached the Quidditch pitch.

Aedus realized that some Slytherins from the older years were sitting there.

He realized that his brother and his friends had also headed there, as had Dorcas.

The girl greeted him, while she spoke to Andromeda.

Regulus whispered. "The first years can only play in the team if they are really good. Otherwise the selections can be attended from the second year onwards."

Aedus's eyes widened. "So they are on the hunt for talent?"

Regulus nodded. "Nott is our captain. He is the one with Lucius and Bellatrix."

Aedus looked for the boy, before nodding.

The teacher, Madam Hooch, arrived.

She was a short woman, with gray hair and yellow eyes like a hawk.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" she barked. "Everyone takes a seat next to a broomstick. Hurry, move!"

Aedus looked down at his broom. It was old, and some twigs stuck out at strange angles.

"Put your right hand out over your broom," said Madame Hooch, looking at them all, "and say, 'Up!'"

"UP!" they shouted in chorus.

The broom in front of Aedus immediately jumped into his hand, but it was one of the few.

At that point, Madam Hooch showed everyone how to mount the broomstick without sliding to the bottom, and then she went through the class to correct their grip.

"And now, when I blow the whistle, give yourself a push by pressing your feet hard on the ground," said Madame Hooch. "Hold the brooms firmly and lift yourself up about a meter; then come back down, leaning slightly forward. At my whistle... three... two... one..."

Madam Hooch whistled and the boys did as she said.

After a few more such exercises, she gave permission to those who felt like flying higher.

Barty, Aedus and Regulus were the ones to fly the highest, unknowingly attracting the attention of all the boys.

Barty took out a small glass ball, saying. "Do you want to try to pass it?"

Regulus and Aedus accepted and began passing the ball to each other.

Barty's shot was too high and too far.

Aedus saw, as if in slow motion, the ball rose into the air and then began to fall back down.

He leaned forward and pointed the broom handle downwards: an instant later, he was picking up speed in a hasty dive, chasing the ball, the wind whistling in his ears, mingling with the shouts of the onlookers.

He reached out his hand, and a few meters from the ground he grabbed it, just in time to straighten the broom; then he landed softly on the grass, holding the ball safe and sound.

He showed it to Barty, who was staring at him with his mouth wide open.

"Potter."

Aedus turned, seeing Nott standing before him.

"Yes?"

"Do you have a broomstick at home?"

Aedus nodded.

"Congratulations. You're on the team. We needed a decent Seeker. Practice is on Friday. Before the Slug Club. Don't be late."

Nott turned and reached Bellatrix and Lucius, making Aedus look at them.

Lucius nodded proudly towards Aedus, as if he had decided to have him in the Slytherin’s common room and Bellatrix smiled mischievously towards a spot behind Aedus.

The boy wanted to turn around, but he couldn't do it.

Not without revealing that he was looking for his brother.

Not without deserving a second punishment, worse than the first.

Instead, he smiled when he felt Dorcas pull him into a hug.

"Nice catch! I've never seen someone fly so well! You should be better than Potter!"

Aedus pointed to himself and Dorcas shook her head. "You are Aedus, the Gryffindor one is just Potter."

Aedus shrugged. "It’s a flawless explanation."

Then he turned back to Regulus and Barty.

"Hey, I made the team." He said and Regulus sighed. “When I explained how it worked, I wasn't inviting you to do it!”

"You should have been more precise."

"How were you not Gryffindor?" Barty asked, still thinking about the dive he had taken.

"Too ambitious and intelligent for that House."

Regulus laughed and Barty shrugged.

Aedus smiled.

Chapter Text

"I'm just saying, I think Nott tried to kill me to get revenge for something I did."

Aedus was trying to solve the mess his hair was, having changed from his uniform into the elegant robes he would wear to the SlugClub. When they accepted the professor's invitation, Aedus had wondered if he was throwing himself to the bloodthirsty wolves from the political world, but the professor had said that, for the first few years, his parties were only with students.

"We don't want to scare you so young." He had said, laughing at his own joke. Apparently, throwing them to politics at the age of eleven was too early. He would have waited at least until the old age of thirteen.

Because it made sense.

Regulus, already ready, looked at him boredly from over a book, showing little interest in his words.

The other boys from the dormitory, on the other hand, were not present in the room, having preferred to stay in the common room to finish the homework that had been assigned by Rosier.

"He threw I don't know how many dodge balls at me, then released the bludgers and told me to avoid them, then instructed the beaters, Goyle and MacNair, to hit me, and finally released the snitch, telling me to catch it while I avoided the bludgers."

"And?"

“When I did all this, he commented along with Laughalot that I was a good buy and that I'm in.”

"Good. Who's the Keeper?"

"Laughalot, while the Chasers are Nott, Lestrange and Dolohov."

Regulus nodded.

Then, he looked at the time. "We need to hurry if we want to get to the meeting with Slughorn on time. I wouldn't want to start my first meeting late."

Aedus sighed, looking at his head. "I'm horrible."

"Your hair looks like it needs some serious styling. Can I give it a try?"

Aedus nodded, looking at Regulus as he fixed his hair.

When he saw them neatly on the sides of his head, Aedus said. “You know you have to do my hair every day now, right?”

Regulus snorted, before pushing Aedus towards the door.

When they arrived at the entrance hall, they immediately noticed Barty, elegantly dressed, waiting for them.

"Hi," he said. "Are we going?"

"Oh, yes," Aedus replied, before looking at a girl who was talking endlessly to a girl her same age, both wearing blue Ravenclaw ties.

"Who are those two?" He then asked, turning to Barty.

"Bertha is the one who talks non-stop, the other one is called Florence. They both hoped I would ask them to be my date, but I told them that my only love interest would always be me."

“At least you don't have to fear rejection.” Aedus shrugged, and Barty smiled. “Sometimes I have to reject myself, for the sake of the challenge.”

"Where is the party?" Regulus then asked

"In Slughorn's office," Aedus said, directing the others towards the marble staircase.

When they almost got in the professor's office, the laughter, music and loud chatters became louder with every step they took.

Whether it was built like this, or because he used some magic trick, Slughorn's office was very spacious. The ceiling and walls had been covered with emerald, crimson, and gold curtains, and so it seemed like they were inside a large tent. The room was packed with people, immersed in the red light of a chiseled gold lamp hanging from the center of the ceiling, inside which real fairies fluttered, each a point of light. A loud singing, accompanied by the sound of what sounded like mandolins, rose from a corner; a haze of pipe smoke hung over some old wizards deep in conversation, and many house-elves squeaked to extricate themselves from a forest of knees, hidden by the heavy silver trays they carried, so much so that they looked like stray tables.

"My boys!" Slughorn exploded as the three made their way through the door. "Come, come, you must meet a lot of people!"

Slughorn wore a fringed velvet hat that matched his tuxedo jacket.

He dragged the three over to where Severus and the red-haired girl who had seen Aedus break down were.

Aedus really hoped she hadn't mentioned that meltdown she'd witnessed to her Slytherin friend.

Another part of him wondered if the girl knew that her friend enjoyed torturing younger boys.

He also saw James and Sirius on one side, on the arms of two girls.

Slughorn, overjoyed, introduced Aedus, Regulus and Barty to Lily and Severus, before disappearing.

Aedus murmured. “When can I escape from here?”

Lily, laughing, replied. "Give him an hour, and then he'll be distracted enough."

Barty tilted his head. “I can handle an hour.”

Aedus shook his own. "I cannot."

The girl looked irritated at Severus when he tried to push her away. "Leave me alone, Sev. I have every right to talk to Aedus if I want."

Regulus looked at Aedus, who shook his head, and then he sighed.

Barty, witnessing their exchange, said. "Actually, I wanted to introduce them to a couple of my Housemates, if that's no problem. Maybe we'll look for you later."

With a quick goodbye, the three walked away and Aedus whispered to Regulus. "Why doesn't Snape have any kind of problem?"

"I don't know. Perhaps Lucius has some other reason for allowing him to behave like this. And Evans, as far as I know, doesn't actively tease Slytherins." Regulus answered him.

Aedus nodded. Unlike your brother , it wasn't really as quiet as his friend had hoped.

Barty brought the two in front of two boys, the same age as James and Sirius, and introduced them as Augustus Rockwood and Evan Rosier.

Next to them, a girl introduced as Pandora Greengrass had just picked up three mugs of butterbeer to drink.

“Oh, first years.” The girl smiled, looking at the three. "Barty, the Black elite, and the black sheep of the Potters!"

Aedus grimaced, before saying. "Why is he called by his first name, and I'm the black sheep of the Potters?"

"Because you're the first Potter that was sorted in Slytherin and you're not a Ravenclaw." Evan explained, shrugging and taking a sip from his mug.

"It makes sense. How did you get stuck in this circle of hell?" Aedus asked, gesturing to the party and Augustus launched into an enthusiastic description of the curse they had used on two older, extremely annoying, students.

Barty and Regulus went away to get drinks and food for them, and when they returned, somehow, Aedus had monopolized the discussion and was talking about Goblin rights.

"I'm just saying, they are a population apart. They deserve all the respect, for their beliefs and for their customs."

"But they are creatures ." Augustus shook his head, drinking from another mug of butterbeer, the first finished long ago.

"They are magica l creatures. We wizards too could be defined as magical creatures, a different evolution than muggles, but from the same stock of origin. Goblins have very powerful magic and are a warrior people." Aedus replied.

"But they fought against the wizards for a long time." Evan said, before saying. "Professor Binns does nothing but talk about it."

"That's because I don't think he knows anything else." Aedus couldn't help but sass the professor, making the three Ravenclaws snort in amusement. "But the Goblins had to fight the wizards to take back what was rightfully theirs. Many of the magical camps and villages today were originally Goblin land, stolen by the wizards."

"It can't be true. The story can't be that wrong." Pandora shook her head, and Aedus shrugged. "It is the winners who write history."

Barty coughed, before saying. “Are we interrupting something?”

Evan pointed to Aedus, saying. "Interesting friend you have here, Barty. No wonder he's in Slytherin. He's too ambitious to end up in any other house."

Barty chuckled. "I realised it too. There's no point in hoping for a different home for him."

Pandora giggled, before saying. "Why don't you talk to Amos Diggory about this? He's a Hufflepuff, and hopes to work at the Ministry in the Creature Department. You could talk about this together."

Aedus nodded. "I'd like to, but would he be willing to talk to me ?"

Pandora and Evan exchanged a look.

"Maybe not." Evan admitted, before shrugging. "No offence, but Slytherins aren't the best company these days. You seem fine, but the others... let's just say they’re not the best company these days."

"They never were." Augustus muttered and Ardus snorted. "It doesn't surprise me if this thought is their welcome. They are rejected because of the colour of their tie and they react by rejecting everyone else. I don't see what's strange behind this attitude."

Augustus looked chastised, but his response was stopped.

"Aedus, Regulus."

The two turned to see Lucius Malfoy standing before them.

"Come with me. There are some people you need to talk to."

With a polite nod towards the Ravenclaws, Lucius turned and disappeared into the crowd.

"I guess we'll continue the discussion another day." Aedus sighed and Pandora nodded, glaring at Malfoy. "Good evening."

"You too."

After waving a goodbye to Barty, Aedus and Regulus followed the direction Lucius had taken, finding themselves once again with Lily and Severus.

“How are you finding the party?” Lily asked, smiling at them.

"Not as bad as I feared from its name." Aedus sighed and Lily nodded in understanding.

"Snivellus!"

James had approached them, smiling arrogantly at the Slytherin peer.

Snape narrowed his eyes angrily.

Aedus saw Lucius out of the corner of his eye and seemed vaguely interested in the possibility of scolding James Potter.

But Aedus would not give him the opportunity to take it out on his brother and thus reset the Gryffindor points hourglass.

“How's your vision with all the oil falling out of your hair?” James asked, making Sirius laugh next to him.

Lily clenched her fists, but Aedus beat her to it.

"Seriously, don't you have anything better to do? Childish jokes at a party?"

James looked at Aedus, daring to look betrayed by his statement.

"What did you say?" He asked, looking at his younger brother.

Aedus saw Lucius smile and said, remembering very well the Cruciatus curse on himself.

"That you're acting childish. And rude, arrogant, in a way that would shame our parents."

"You're just a Slytherin like everyone else." James replied and Aedus smiled. "Like our mom . Who dad married. Why don't you tell her how disgusting and wrong Slytherins are or tell him what mistake he made in marrying her?"

James took a step back, shocked.

Clearly, he didn't expect his younger brother's response.

Without saying anything, he disappeared, leaving Severus alone, who nodded his thanks towards Aedus.

Sirius gritted his teeth, looking at his own  brother and then quickly following James.

"Good, now we can go to the dorm." Regulus commented, and the two ventured towards the exit.

As they left, Lucius stopped them.

"Aedus."

The Potter looked at him vaguely anxiously, but then the Head Boy smiled.

"Excellent. You were very right to behave as you did. I'm sure Potter won't forget it anytime soon."

Aedus nodded.

Regulus watched Malfoy walk away from them, before muttering. "That was intense. Come on, let's go."

Leaving the office, Aedus didn't notice James' gaze that hadn't left him for a moment.

Chapter Text

At the beginning of November it began to get very cold.

The mountains around the school turned an icy grey and the lake became a sheet of icy metal.

Every morning the ground was covered in frost. 

From the windows of the upstairs stairs it was possible to see Hagrid busy defrosting broomsticks on the Quidditch pitch, bundled up in a long moleskin overcoat, rabbit fur gloves and huge beaver-lined boots.

The Quidditch season had begun.

That Saturday, Aedus would play his first match after weeks of training: Gryffindor versus Slytherin.

If he had won, Slytherin would have moved up the table to second place in the dormitory championship.

Nott had lobbied for that match and Aedus himself wanted to prove how good he was.

He had to prove to James that he wasn't the best player in the family.

Maybe he was stupid, but Aedus was hurt by his brother's easy rejection towards him. As if Aedus was nothing anymore, not now that James had seen his true colours .

And, because of him, many evenings Aedus had to endure some Cruciatus from his housemates who had to take revenge for the Gryffindor's actions in the only way they could think.

At that rate, Aedus would lose control of his nerves or, maybe, just go mad.

Perhaps beating his brother would put an end to those endless tortures.

"Are you okay, Aedus?" Regulus asked, giving him a vaguely worried look.

Aedus smiled. Even though Bellatrix was one of the most enthusiastic in cursing him, Regulus' constant presence had somehow prevented Aedus from having to endure the older girl's treatments for too long or for multiple evenings in a row.

Now he understood what his father meant about some old traditions . He couldn't believe that the Blacks liked to use the Cruciatus to punish their children.

He was extremely grateful that his mother had managed to escape that kind of upbringing. Part of him was wondering how he could keep Regulus safe too.

"I’m just great." Aedus murmured.

The match the next day had given a break to the evening session . Lucius had decreed that no one should disturb Aedus. He had to be at his full strength for the match.

"You will win." Regulus said, speaking with confidence. "There is no doubt about it. Theodorus Nott has trained you too much for you not to succeed."

"Thank you." Aedus nodded, smiling at the boy.

As he lay in bed, Aedus allowed himself to smile.

Maybe James would have ignored him, but at least he had Regulus , with his elegant support and his princely attitude.

Rolling over, Aedus snorted. Barty was there too, on his side. With his support not at all elegant , and his attitude not at all princely .

Aedus wouldn't have traded them for anything in the world.

***

At dawn the next day, the day was bright and cold. Aedus was comforted by the situation.

The Slytherins had trained hard in all kinds of temperatures and all conditions imaginable. But the team obviously flew better with clear skies and little wind.

Most importantly, the brooms had more control.

The Great Hall was filled with the delicious smell of fried sausages and the cheerful chatter of kids who couldn't wait to watch a good game.

It would have been pleasant, too, if it hadn't been for Aedus' absolutely stuffy stomach, the feeling of being on the verge of vomiting, and the desire to disappear from the dirty looks he received from the Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, and Ravenclaw tables.

Okay, maybe he was exaggerating. Only the Gryffindors were looking at him with absolute disgust. And not even all of them .

But they were enough to make him feel uncomfortable .

James was the one who lived in the spotlight. Aedus had always been more of the type to stand with a book in hand, away from curious guests, discussing pureblood education and traditions with his mother and current laws with his father.

"You need to eat something, Aedus." Barty told him, while he arrived with the announcement of the support of the Ravenclaw house, for the first time in a very long time.

"I do not want anything". Aedus shook his head.

"Just a little piece of toast," Regulus coaxed.

"I'm not hungry".

Aedus felt terrible.

Not only for the upcoming match, but for the letter that had arrived just that morning, in perfect and horrendous timing at the same time.

He had received congratulations from his parents and his mother, in the letter he had opened that morning, had heavily implied that she was worried about how he was handling being in Slytherin.

Not because of how James might have taken it, but because of what was going on in there .

Aedus felt sick at the thought of his mother being tortured.

Radabastan leaned over, winking at the boy. “You should really eat something, Aedus. The Gryffindors will want to knock you down and without strength you would have such a bad flight to the ground."

"Wow, do they pay you to be so comforting? Did you make it this morning, or is it all spontaneous?" Aedus replied sarcastically, looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

Radabastan laughed, before shaking his head and leaving Barty to force the food into Aedus' mouth.

Traitors , all of them.

"Potter." Nott had arrived, raising an eyebrow at Barty's presence, but without commenting on their proximity or the portion of bacon in Barty's hands near Aedus' mouth. "Come on, it's time."

Without hesitation, Aedus stood up and left Barty there, the bacon still in the Ravenclaw’s hand.

"Coward." Aedus heard Barty whisper.

While Nott wasn't looking, Aedus turned to stick his tongue out at Barty, while Regulus shook his head wearily.

***

By eleven o'clock, the whole school group was in the stands, around the Quidditch pitch.

Many were armed with binoculars.

Even though the seats could rise into the air, it was still sometimes difficult to follow what was happening on the pitch.

Regulus wished Aedus good luck, before following Radabastan and Amicus to the Slytherin stands. Barty, Pandora, Augustus and Evan had joined as well the Slytherin stands, while the Ravenclaws, for the first time since time immemorial, wore the colours green and silver to support the House of Slytherin.

Meanwhile, in the locker room, Aedus and the rest of the team were changing into their green uniforms, with silver trim. On the chest a small snake was embroidered, and behind each shirt, the name and number made their appearance.

Nott took a breath, before looking at the group.

"Okay, we're going to play clean today. No fouls, no reason for them to say we won by cheating."

The keeper raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised. Aedus had also seen a lot of surprise in training that year, but, being the keeper, Laughalot had not really had a chance to see these changes and understand how they would apply in the actual game. Casting an appraising look, Laughalot asked. "What changes from past years?"

Nott looked thoughtfully at Aedus. "I want to see how you do. Let's give you some clean context. Show me what you can do."

Aedus nodded. He took a deep breath. He could prove to everyone that being Slytherin was not synonymous with being a cheater. They didn't need to cheat in order to win.

And, according to Aedus, winning cleanly was much more satisfying than winning by cheating.

"Good. Time to get on the field. Good luck to everyone." Nott said, glancing at everyone on the team, before turning and walking out.

Aedus followed Goyle and McNair out of the dressing room, hoping his knees wouldn't buckle with emotion, and entered the pitch to huge ovations.

The match would be refereed by Madame Hooch who, standing in the middle of the field, was waiting for the two teams, brandishing her broom in her hand.

"I recommend everyone, I want a match without any foul play " she said once the two teams were gathered around her.

Aedus noticed that his brother, parallel in front of him, in the air, wasn't even recognizing him.

He gritted his teeth.

That only made him more determined to answer back. It made him more determined to win .

He would prove to everyone that Slytherin didn't need to cheat and he would prove to James that being a Slytherin didn't make Aedus worse than James just because.

Madam Hooch blew loudly into her silver whistle.

The game had started.

"..and the Quaffle was immediately intercepted by Mary McDonald of Gryffindor..."

Commentating on the match was Ted Tonks, a sixth year Hufflepuff.

"...The girl moves really fast up there. She makes a timely pass to Sirius Black...back to McDonald and... no, the Quaffle has been intercepted by Slytherin Captain Theodorus Nott, who takes it away: here he is flying high as an eagle... he's about to... no, blocked by an excellent move from the Gryffindor Keeper King, and the Gryffindor is in possession of the Quaffle again. And here is the Gryffindor Chaser Mary.. . nice dive around McNair, then back up... OUCH!... that Bludger shot to the back of the head must have hurt! , but is blocked by a second Bludger thrown at him by one of the two Prewett... in front of her the field is clear, and she moves away and literally flies away - she dodges a deadly Bludger... she is in front of the hoop dive... save!"

The chilly air was filled with the cheering of the Slytherins and the shouts and whistles of the Gryffindors.

"Quaffle to Slytherin," Tonks was saying, drawing approval from Aedus who could sense no preference in his tone of voice. "The chaser Nott dodges two Bludgers, two Prewetts and Chaser Black, and advances quickly towards the hoops... scored!"

The Slytherins celebrated again.

As James received instructions from his captain, Aedus saw the Snitch near the ground, diving down.

Shortly after, he heard the unmistakable sound of James following him.

Then, the sound of one of the Bludgers approaching.

Aedus grimaced.

Nott had been brutal , but at least it had allowed him to be ready for this exact moment.

He felt his captain's eyes on him.

If he had caught the snitch, he would have shown the Slytherins that there was no point in playing dirty.

"Aedus Potter spotted the Snitch and launched into an extremely rapid perpendicular dive! James Potter immediately followed."

Aedus gritted his teeth, ducking and dodging the two bludgers the Prewetts had launched at him.

"He effectively dodges the bludgers sent by the Prewett twins and... OH MY GOD, HE MADE A WRONSKI FEINT ! James crashes to the ground, and Aedus comes back up and... HE GOT THE SNITCH! SLYTHERIN WINS ! 190 to 0!"

His teammates surrounded him and lifted him up.

Aedus laughed, and Nott clapped him on the shoulder.

"Well done, Aedus ." Nott whispered in his ear.

Out of the corner of his eye, Aedus saw James stand up and grimace in pain.

But other than that, he had no serious injuries.

Aedus was relieved.

He hadn't wanted to hurt his brother.

Just humiliate him a little.

***

"Whoever said that Gryffindors are the ones who know how to party," Augustus said, looking around appreciatively, "he must have never seen a Slytherin party."

The party in the Common Room was in full swing.

The cosy and plush forest green velvet sofas and armchairs had been moved and scattered, making them good spots for different students to sit.

The candles scattered around the room had been enchanted by Andromeda to leave emerald green and silver colours, in true Slytherin style, and to shine ever brighter, mirroring the festive mood of the Common Room.

The dark tapestries on the walls, with their intricate designs, shimmered in the dim light.

In one corner, a record player made its appearance, vinyl records of classic rock and disco songs blasting through the room, the music filling the room with its beat.

The atmosphere was opulent and festive, with shadows dancing around the edges of the room, adding an air of intrigue.

Posters of the team's players, dressed in elegant robes that were definitely not the team's uniforms, adorned the common room.

Aedus had watched his own with a shiver, seeing how his green eyes were penetrating and able to follow every movement in the room.

The decor was elegantly accented with touches of silver and greenery, adding a sense of prestige and sophistication to the space.

"Well, now I can say that I have truly lived." Evan murmured. "And I feel almost robbed for ending up in Ravenclaw."

"I'm offended that Barty can come here whenever he wants." Pandora snorted.

Barty smiled, putting an arm around Aedus' shoulders. "My best friend is the Slytherin Prodigy Seeker, guys. Of course I can come whenever I want."

Aedus snorted, looking away from his poster and raising an eyebrow at Barty.

"You can't come whenever you want." Regulus denied it. “I don't even know why you think you're welcome now .”

"Hey, we supported you!" Augustus replied. "And Barty got all the Ravenclaw s to support the Slytherins."

“I think he got us all to support Aedus .” Evan pointed out.

Barty blushed, while Aedus looked at him in surprise. “Did you really do that for me ?”

"He certainly didn't do it for Nott ." Augustus snorted. "Has he always been this creepy ?"

Aedus, Barty and Regulus looked over Augustus' shoulder, where Theodorus Nott, Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Black made their appearance.

Aedus said. "I wouldn't keep talking, Augustus."

"Why?" Evan asked. "Is he behind us?"

“Yes, although I wanted to hear what else Augustus thought of me.” Nott murmured, smiling slightly as Augustus jumped and looked at him in fear.

"Do not be like that." Nott shook his head. "Indeed, we have come to borrow Aedus, for a moment. Aedus?"

As Regulus raised an eyebrow, perhaps wondering when Nott had started calling Aedus by his first name, instead of the respectful and extremely distant surname he had used until that morning, Aedus freed himself from Barty's grasp and followed the trio.

Even though Bellatrix's presence made him uncomfortable, he knew that nothing would happen to him. Too many first years around and the four Ravenclaws present would get them into trouble.

Lucius was the one to speak. "This is the first time a House has publicly supported Slytherin." He murmured, his voice a whisper. "I am pleased. Also by the fact that you seem to have finally realised that Potter is not your brother."

"I'm not the one who takes revenge for his actions against his younger brother, where no one can say anything." Aedus said, and, without waiting for permission, continued. "And, even if I spoke to James, I don't see why I should be punished while Snape hangs out with Evans all the time."

Bellatrix giggled. "Lucius has a soft spot for little Snape." Then, she tilted her head. “But this attitude of yours is all Black.”

“My mother is a Black.” Aedus replied. “I don't know why everyone seems to forget about it.”

"Regardless," Lucius continued, "I can recognize that there is some truth in your accusations. We have not been fair to you, but you can see how… others need revenge ."

"Really the best way you can find to get back at James is to torture the brother he disowned because of the color of his tie?" Aedus snorted. “I thought we were the House of the cunning and ambitious.”

Bellatrix smiled. “Do you have… suggestions , little Aedus?”

Aedus paused. It looked like a trap of some kind, although he couldn't figure out where he was. "As I understand it, they enjoy targeting Slytherins where there are no other witnesses, right?"

Lucius nodded.

"Instead of just having Slytherin go, why don't we interact with the Ravenclaws more?" Aedus said. "Augustus told me that the biggest problem with Slytherins is their attitude towards Muggle-borns. Our opinions may remain the same, but when do we need to tell anyone what we think ?"

"Do you want to use Ravenclaws?" Nott asked, tilting his head. "How... curious ."

“They have shown that they want to take the first step.” Aedus said. "And, if many non-Slytherin students confirm what James, Sirius and Peter are doing, even Dumbledore will have to punish them."

Bellatrix grimaced. "Do you want to welcome the dirty Mudbloods too?"

“If they can be helpful, does it really matter?” Aedus asked. "Anyway, it's not like you have to interact with anyone. They leave you alone."

"I know." Bellatrix smiled fiercely. "But they annoy little Radabastan."

“Are they bothering Radabastan ?” Aedus asked, frowning. Since the boy had never treated him badly, Aedus didn't know. He was always friendly, so open towards Aedus. "I was thinking, actually, of telling my mother. If he continues, despite the teachers and other students, I may just snitch."

Lucius smiled. “Is your brother afraid of your mother?”

"What son isn't afraid of his mother? " Aedus asked, blinking.

"He's got a point, there." Nott shivered. "My mother and her screaming are truly horrendous. I wouldn't recommend them to anyone."

"Good, little Aedus ." Bellatrix smiled. "Let's see if your tactic works."

Without hesitation, the three departed, leaving Aedus alone.

Regulus and Barty were immediately at his side. 

"Are you okay?" Regulus asked, looking at him worriedly. "Did they do something ?"

"No, not in front of all these people." Aedus replied softly. "But... I think they won't do anything to me anymore, you know?"

Regulus sighed in relief. "Very well."

Aedus looked at Barty. “I need your help with something, though.”

"Whatever you want." Barty was quick to promise. “Tell me how I can help you and I will."

Aedus smiled.

Good thing he had Barty and Regulus on his side.

Chapter Text

The week before, Professor Slughorn had gone around the dormitories of each year to prepare the list of students who would be staying for the holidays, and Aedus had announced that he would be returning home.

He didn't mind that at all.

He knew Regulus and Barty would be going home too, and honestly, the chance to see them over the holidays was too good to be turned down.

Furthermore, Aedus missed his parents. 

Going back home would do him good.

**

Stepping off the train, Aedus was surprised to see James and Remus get off as well.

He knew Sirius would stay at school because Dorcas told him so.

He and Andromeda would spend the holidays together, both despised by their parents.

But Aedus did not know that his brother would return home, something he had not done the previous two years.

Having reached the moment of parting, Aedus, Regulus and Barty smiled at each other, Barty managing to get a hug from Aedus, while Regulus limited himself to respectful nods to both, avoiding physical contact in every way.

Maybe he was allergic to it.

Aedus then reached his parents, surprised to see Remus still with them.

The mother interpreted his look correctly.
"We’ll take Remus home, darling. His mother asked us to do it as a favour."

Aedus nodded. Then, looking at Remus, he asked. "Has she recovered from her illness?"

Remus smiled. "She's still not well , but she's much better. Thank you."

Aedus smiled, shaking his head.

Together, the five disappeared from the platform.

***

Aedus was completing his Transfiguration homework when James entered his room, without knocking.

Seeing him sitting at his desk, the older boy sat on the bed, perfectly arranged, asking. "What are you doing?"

"My homework." Aedus replied laconically, wondering when his brother would leave.

"Boring. What do you want to do?" James asked excitedly.

Aedus ignored him, writing a rather complicated passage in his essay.

McGonagall, although extremely objective in her assessments, tended to see Slytherins as the villains.

Aedus wanted to change that perception.

In all of them.

"We could fly together. It's a beautiful day and I'd like to fly with someone that good."

Aedus ignored him again.

"We're not old enough to play a prank on mom and dad anymore, right? Otherwise, I have this brilliant idea, which I'm sure you'll love..."

"James, I'm studying." Aedus interrupted, tired of hearing his brother talk. "I'm sure you can find something to entertain yourself. Something that doesn't involve ruining my holiday, specifically."

"But we haven't seen each other all semester! I want to spend time with my brother!"

Aedus placed his pen on the table, before turning and looking at James seriously.

"I'm your brother now? Really ?"

"You always have been, but at Hogwarts there are circumstances to be respected, you know that too."

"I know that Snape and Evans are friends. I know that Evans doesn't care what everyone else thinks of her. I know that Sirius has a cousin that he loves very much, Andromeda, who is a Slytherin . Dorcas is friends with Mary ."

James tried to protest, and Aedus stopped him, opening the door to signal his brother to come out.

"You reject me in public. I won't be your dirty little secret ."

James, without saying anything else, left.

****

When Aedus received the letter from Malfoy, he wasn't quite sure what to think.

Dear Aedus,
I hope you are having a productive holiday, focusing on your assigned homeworks, without wasting time on useless relationships.
Also, I wanted to personally invite you to the Ball that my family will host at Yule, to celebrate the moment.
Waiting for your answer,
Lucius Malfoy, Heir to the Ancient and Noble House of Malfoy.

Useless relationships. It didn't take a genius to know that the Prefect was referring to his older brother.

Furthermore, the Malfoy Yule Ball was an extremely important event.

Yule had been celebrated throughout the wizarding world since the 5th century, in a festival meant to celebrate the magic of the changing seasons.

And, the Malfoys' celebration was supposed to be even grander.

Aedus bit his lip. Going there would have meant meeting influential and important people. Start making yourself known. Furthermore, he could have also slowly changed the way he perceived creatures. And what place would be better than a Gala with the most influential people of that time?

But...

But no Potter had been invited for a long time, not since Crouch had had his suspicions about the Malfoys and their alliances, suspicions never confirmed, not even by rumours.

Aedus sighed. He would talk about it with his mother before making any further decisions. At that moment, he needed a Black.

***

"Mom?" Aedus looked at his mother busy with some documents.

But as soon as her son's voice reached her, Dorea put the paper aside and devoted her entire attention to her son.

"Aedus. Please, join me."

Walking with a slow, calm, unhurried, but still elegant step, Aedus reached the sofa, where his mother had been sitting in the meantime, two cups of tea appearing before them waiting to be drunk.

It was one thing he hated about Purebloods. The need to carry on any conversation with intricate discussions and drinks to be consumed in company .

Although most of the time those present had to fight against the instinct to kill the other.

"Tell me, Aedus." His mother smiled. "What is worrying you?"

"Nothing." Aedus clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, and Dorea shot him a withering look, wordlessly rebuking his ways.

"Barty and Regulus wrote to me," Aedus decided to say, starting with a speech he judged to be the best at the moment. If his mother had reacted violently to the news of meeting his two friends, Aedus would have wasted no time in thinking about bringing up Malfoy's invitation.

Dorea smiled. "I think it's a brilliant idea. Will you meet in Diagon Alley? Or would you rather come here, while your brother is away with his friends?"

Aedus frowned, wondering how much his mother knew about the argument between her two sons.

"I may be old, Aedus, but I'm not blind at all. James has always been prejudiced against Slytherins. I hoped he wouldn't be prejudiced against you too, of course, but..."

“Now you have confirmation that he did.” Aedus looked at his mother who nodded and sighed.

“Do you have anything else you want to discuss, Aedus?”

Aedus nodded. "Lucius Malfoy invited me to the Malfoy Ball."

Dorea nodded back, smiling as she stated. "You should go, in my opinion."

Aedus looked at his mother in shock. Despite her easy acceptance of her son's sorting, the boy had not expected approval to participate in a party exclusively reserved for powerful and rich families, families avoided as much as possible by the Potters due to different alliances.

"Aedus, you often forget that I was in Slytherin." Dorea smiled kindly at her son. "I was in your place once, most protected as heir to one of the noblest and oldest families in Wizarding Britain, a family that was always sorted in Slytherin. You, though heir to three of those families, are a Potter first and foremost, strongly opposed to that the Slytherin families represent. I can't imagine what has happened in the Common Room up to this point, but I won't make it worse by stopping you from going to the Malfoy Ball."

Aedus swallowed. "No one begrudges dad's choices, mom. He... they can respect that. His personal opinions don't make him any less honest at his work, and he's never accused anyone without real evidence. He even helped Lucius' father when Barty Crouch Sr tried to arrest him without any evidence."

Dorea nodded. “The reason why my family never tried to stop our marriage or disowned me.”

"They have a problem with James , mom." Aedus admitted.  "He and his friends are brutal in their pranks towards Slytherins and... Well, they can't get revenge on him ."

"Are they torturing you , Aedus?"

"With the Cruciatus." Aedus admitted. "Ever since I won at Quidditch and defended Snape in front of everyone at the SlugClub, no one has said anything more to me. But Lucius has made it clear that these holidays should not be taken as a reason to forget where I belong."

“And that's why you and James aren't talking at all?”

"No." Aedus denied it. "James chose not to be my brother during the school year, in front of his Gryffindor friends. I won't be his little secret, mother."

“And I'm proud of you for that.” Dorea smiled. "Have fun at the Malfoy Ball. Unless you want me there so you can make it clear to everyone that you are the son of a Black."

"I'll ask Lucius what he thinks." Aedus murmured, feeling grateful that he didn't have to face the masses alone. “Maybe you can convince Crouch to let his son come?”

"I can try." Dorea smiled. “It will definitely be fun.”

****

"Aedus! We're here!"

Aedus chuckled at the sight of Barty, busy waving his arms to get Aedus' attention.
At his side, Regulus looked decidedly embarrassed.

"Hello, Regulus! Barty!" Aedus greeted both boys with a nod, before following them inside a room. “I'm going to get everyone some hot chocolate, okay?”

Barty nodded enthusiastically as Regulus began looking for money to pay for his drink. Aedus, proving himself to be his father's son, completely ignored him and went to order the three hot drinks from the bartender, a nice man named Louis.

Then, he returned to the table, in time to hear Barty talking about the Malfoy Ball.

"My father told me that the invitation came to offer protection to one of the guests. However, he ordered me to gather information on what is happening there."

Aedus snorted. "What does he expect, human sacrifices and rituals? In front of the members of the Ministry?" The boy shook his head. "I asked my mother to organise it. Malfoy and Black are organising a union thanks to Narcissa and Lucius, so it wasn't difficult. You will come with us, as long as your father doesn't create false problems."

"I'm sure he won't cause any problems. Your father is his hero, although unfortunately he prefers to have evidence first and then arrest." Barty shook his head. “Mine just can't understand that.”

"Your father is an idiot." Regulus commented. "I'm not surprised he wasn't invited to the Black family parties. Hypocrites are not welcome."

“ Hypocrites ?” Aedus asked, looking interested.

Regulus shrugged. "I don't know much. Only that my parents despise him and that my grandfather called him a hypocrite and a traitor. I can't say more than that."

Barty looked thoughtful. "I wouldn't put it past my father to try to control the Dark Faction by pretending to agree with their values ​​and then using the confessions they made to betray them. Maybe that's what your parents and grandfather intended."

Regulus shrugged. "Once I am named Heir of the House of Black I will be able to learn more."

“Wait, are you going to be named?” Aedus repeated, blinking. "Not Sirius? He's the eldest, shouldn't he be the heir?"

Regulus sighed. "His attitude isn't the best. Not his sorting. A Black Gryffindor might have had positives that a Slytherin could never hope to achieve. His denigrating attitude towards our family , however... He can't be the new Lord Black if he despises everything the Blacks stand for."

"Bellatrix represents the Blacks, then?" Aedus asked. “Because, honestly, I'm not a big fan of it.”

"Not even my grandfather, current Lord Black." Regulus reassured Aedus. "Which is why she will never become Lady Black. My grandfather appreciates Dorea. Your mother is supposed to be the quintessential Black member. Even her marriage to your father was not seen as negative."

"My mother talked about it." Aedus nodded, understanding the explanation. And his mother had also told him about his grandfather, Arcturus Black. She said he was strict, but a great family patriarch. And that he would not allow any of his nephews to take the title of Lord Black until he found one worthy.

"Well, the Crouch family has only ever had one son and one line." Barty shrugged. "Even if he wanted to, my father can't do anything to take away what I have."

“Do you think he would try ?” Aedus asked, starting to plot how to discredit Crouch Sr enough to free Barty from him.

"He might." Barty sighed. “But I really don't want to think about my father right now.”

Regulus nodded. "Did Potter give you any trouble?" He asked, looking at Aedus seriously and with no small amount of concern.

"A bit." Aedus sighed. "He... told me that at Hogwarts he couldn't be seen with me because his reputation would suffer, but at home he was free to be as he wanted."

"Bastard." Barty growled.

"And you?" Regulus asked.

“I kicked him out of my room and told him I wouldn't be his little secret.” Aedus said with a smile.

"This is my boy!" Barty patted him on the shoulder, making Regulus sigh, but he smiled and nodded towards Aedus.

“I know it must have been hard, but you did good.” Regulus smiled at him. "Now, why don't we exchange gifts? I know Barty can't wait to show us what he got for us." He added, with a lot of sarcasm in his voice.

Barty laughed, picking up two packages and placing them in front of Aedus and Regulus.

With a shared look of amusement, Aedus and Regulus reached out for the package.

Ignoring for a moment the one Barty had given Regulus, Aedus concentrated on his own, feeling it for a moment and then opening it.

"Did you really give me a book about all the laws in the world about Magical Creatures?" Aedus asked, stunned and more than a little moved.

"Don't think I didn't understand what you're doing, Aedus." Barty told him. “I'm just helping you turn our world upside down.”

“Let him do it first at our school.” Regulus murmured. "A step at a time."

"There's no rush." Barty nodded. “But I know Aedus is already thinking about how to use that information right now.”

Aedus blushed, because it was what he was doing.

"Oh, and I was right." Barty smiled. “Do you like your present, Reg?”

"Don't call me Reg. " Regulus replied. "And, yes, that's acceptable . Some of these ingredients are limited to Hogwarts and it will be nice to be able to bring them with me."

"Ah, yeah, corruption ." Barty pretended to wipe a tear from his eye. "So romantic."

Aedus laughed, before placing his presents in front of the two.

He had given a very advanced book on Transfiguration to Barty, along with liquorice wands, while Regulus had received a book on lesser-known Spells, and some jelly beans of all +1 flavours.

"Thank you!" Barty pulled him into a hug, and Regulus smiled at Harry, but didn't hug him or embarrass himself.

"I guess it's my turn now." Regulus murmured, placing the two presents in front of the two friends.

Harry opened his, his eyes lighting up when he saw that Regulus had sent him a book about duelling and the different competitions that existed, even including what age you could enter them.

“And now he is planning when to enter those competitions.” Barty murmured, reaching over and reading the list. "Wow, some of these are international ! I don't know half of them!"

“Black family has their own tradition.” Regulus smiled. "Though this book is more from the Carrows , so your mother wouldn't have had the chance to tell you about it and you to read it."

"Thank you, Regulus." Aedus checked the gift Regulus had given Barty. A book on Potions.

It was nice to see that they were all bookworms at heart, and that books would always be a good gift, and a challenge to find the right one.

"Let's go for a little walk?" Aedus offered, glancing towards where he knew the library was.

"Do you want to find out about duels or creatures?" Regulus asked amused.

"Ah, Reg," Barty laughed, ignoring the annoyed and hissed 'Regulus', "he wants to do both."

Aedus shrugged.

He really wanted to do both.

And not only.