Growing up Pureblooded

R.A.B.

Late that evening, after everyone else had gone to bed, Aries and Draco slipped out of Gryffindor Tower under the Invisibility Cloak and made their way to Sirius's quarters. They had not had a particular productive day, as Bilius and Finnigan got themselves into detention at the last minute, and the boys' plans had been spoilt. They were disappointed, and not looking forward to telling their father that his gift had been wasted. When they reached their father's quarters, Sirius and Remus were both waiting for them inside, along with Aunt Cassie. On the dining room table lay a diadem, a locket and a ring.

Draco gasped. "Are those what I think they are?" "You lot have been busy today, haven't you?" Aries said with a smirk. Sirius shrugged. "We thought it might make a nice surprise." "Four Horcruxes down!" Draco said excitedly. "That only leaves the cup in Aunt Bella's vault."

Aries walked over to the table slowly. He could feel the faint hum of hidden power. Somehow, in a strange manner that he neither understood nor wished to understand, he had a connexion to these objects. They were akin to him, something of the same sort. Aries felt simultaneously disturbed and comforted to have them close by.

"How did you do it?" Draco asked. "Aries had already given us very precise instructions," Cassiopeia reminded him. "True," Aries replied. "But I didn't expect you to go find all of them today. When did you get the diadem?" "Moony found it during his free period," Sirius explained.

"It wasn't at all difficult," Remus said modestly. "I just went to the room you told us about and there it was. No enchantments, no protections of any kind." Aries shook his head. "As I said, Riddle thought he was the only one who had ever found the room." He picked up the diadem and stroked it gently, resisting the urge to put it on and obtain the wisdom and knowledge it promised, even though he knew inexplicably that the diadem would not hurt him, at least, not the way it would hurt anyone else.

"It's a shame to destroy it," he whispered. Draco and Sirius both looked at him in shock. "Aries, that thing holds a bit of Riddle's soul," Sirius protested. "Just remember what he did to you, to your parents," Draco added.

Aries rolled his eyes. "I'm not talking about the Horcrux," he said. "I'm more than happy to kill off all of Riddle's remaining bits." Cassiopeia nodded in understanding. "You're talking about the diadem." "Exactly." Harry sighed. "Such an amazing artifact, such wondrous power! It would be a waste just to blast it with Fiendfyre." "I suppose I can see your point," Remus said, looking at the diadem with just a hint of longing in his eyes.

"Personally, I think you're all a bunch of nutters," Sirius said. "I say, let's just burn the lot of them and be done with them." "I'm with you, Dad," Draco said, and Sirius proudly ruffled his hair. Aries stood there, staring at the diadem contemplatively.

"What if there were a way to remove Voldemort's soul, whilst leaving the diadem and all its powers intact?" he mused aloud after a long pause. "There is none," Cassiopeia said matter-of-factly. "There are very few substances that can destroy a Horcrux, and all of the readily accessible ones would obliterate the diadem as well."

Aries grinned mischievously. "What about the less accessible ones?" Cassiopeia thought hard. "I suppose, that if one were to inject the diadem with an infusion of basilisk venom, it might break the link between the soul fragment and the diadem." She sniffed. "But where would one come across basilisk venom? They are very rare creatures."

Aries laughed. "Let's just say that I know of an available basilisk who just might be persuaded to help us." "Where?" Cassiopeia demanded. "In the Chamber of Secrets under the school," Aries said nonchalantly. "I think I'll go have a chat with him tomorrow, and see what he thinks."

Four pairs of eyes turned to stare at him in a mixture of bewilderment and horror. "What?"Aries stood back defensively. "I'm the Heir of Slytherin, right? That's bound to be good for something." "You are not going to go have tea and biscuits with Slytherin's evil basilisk," Sirius said firmly. "I forbid it." "Come on, Dad," Aries complained. "It's the only way."

"Watch the whinging," his father replied automatically. "Besides, it's against school rules, right, Moony?" Remus shifted back and forth from foot to foot. "Actually, Padfoot, I don't think there is any school rule that technically covers such a situation," the werewolf replied. "In fact, Aries could even argue that, as the Heir of Slytherin, the basilisk is his pet, which..." Draco groaned. "You're not going to bring that bloody thing home, are you, Aries?"

"Hell, no!" Sirius roared. "He's not going within a hundred feet of it." Aries wanted to argue, but sensed that now was not the best time. He looked back at the table, deciding to ask about how they had retrieved the other Horcruxes, when something about the locket caught his eye. Something off.

He picked it up and held it in the light. "Where did you find this?" he asked. "Don't think you can change the subject so easily, young man," Sirius began. "No, Dad, honestly," Aries insisted. "There's something wrong. This isn't the Horcrux." "Impossible," Cassiopeia replied. "Abraxas and Clytemnestra found everything in the cave just the way you said."

"Be that as it may," Aries said evenly, "this isn't the Horcrux. It's a fake." He popped it open, and a small, folded piece of parchment fell out. Draco picked it up and looked over it quickly. "Dad," he asked, "do you know any Death Eaters with the initials R.A.B.?"