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.