Choices || Harry Potter [HP X PJO]

t w e l v e

It was midnight by the time I was sure that all my dorm mates were completely asleep. I stood up from my bed, the sound silent thanks to Artemis's gift, and gently tapped my arm-bands together, watching in fascination as my body shimmered out of view, a mist-like veil covering my body. 

Reaching into my bag, I grabbed the book and tucked it into my robes, watching as it too disappeared from sight. My steps were casual as I walked out of the dormitories and the common room, only being careful when opening and closing doors. No one could see, nor hear or smell me thanks to Artemis and Athena, so the only risk was any external sound or movement. 

Or, unknown to me, a magical map made by my father that said man was in possession of. More on that later, though. 

I walked easily through the halls. I didn't jump at every noise, hide at every person, because I was completely and utterly veiled. Not only was any sound I made hidden, no one could smell or hear me, and even my magical and demigod aura was invisible. Now more than ever it would be almost impossible for monsters to find me, I realized gleefully. 

When I got to the library, which was vacant and silent, I pulled out the book and flipped to the map, orienting it accordingly to my position in the library. 

The closest dot was where I had already found the book, so with a small quill, I put an 'x' over it, thankful that none of the words were covering the map. B.L must have drawn in carefully, and had underlined the letters of 'Hogwart's Library' in order to signal what the map was of. The next one was in the charms section, and I retrieved it easily to find a similar warn book, the cover a deep but faded maroon color.

This book is the possession of the Brightest Leo, it read inside the cover, and I tucked that book inside the bag, as well. I decided that I could figure out what the cover said through the faded title later. 

The process continued, and soon, every dot was marked off, every book found. In my haste, I hadn't realized the invisibility had warn off until I heard someone call, "Scorpia?"

I spun around, eyes wide in alarm when my eyes landed on my father. "Remus?" I asked in shock. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you," he said, narrowing his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

The best defense is offence, Annabeth once told me. Ethan had said something similar once, too, so my face morphed into a scowl. "Seriously?" I sneered. "You don't want to be my father, yet you still go sticking your nose in my business? Yeah, no thanks. I'll see you tomorrow, in class, Professor Lupin."

I gave him one last glare, storming out of the library, glad that I was done with my task. 

I was fuming by the time I got back to my dorm. How dare he? Who did he think he was, anyways? He was my father, but if he didn't want to act like it most of the time, well, he couldn't pick and choose. I wouldn't let him. 

Flopping down on my bed, I closed the curtains for extra measure, even though the other girls were asleep. Emptying my bag, the books fell onto my bed, and I cast the muffliato charm so that no one would be able to hear the pages turning, or any noise that might be made. There were so many books, at least a dozen, all with faded, dark colors and faded gold-printed titles. 

All of them had a note from B.L., all in the same handwriting. I have the full collection, I realized, of some of the darkest books in the world, with hand-written notes on how to complete the magic.

I was holding a weapon, perhaps one of the most dangerous weapons in the wizarding world, and it made me wonder just how powerful B.L. was, and how powerful I could be with such a thing in my possession. 

To be fair, I wasn't evil. I wasn't planning on using those spells for bad, but if it came down to it, I needed to protect myself. People in the wizarding world always thought of everything as black and white, but almost everything was gray. 

Completely gray. 

As I scanned through the book, one spell stood out to me.

Mens Cheirismós. Mens, mind in Latin, and Cheirismós, manipulation, in Greek.

Mind manipulation, I realized as my eyes scanned the description warily. 

Similar to the Imperious Curse, but more dangerous. It is not known to the ministry, or any public record, as it has only been published in this book, but if it was known, it would be an unforgivable curse for sure. 

The Mens Cheirismós Curse is basically like the Imperious Curse—you use it to get someone to do your biding. Unlike the Imperious Curse, though, you aren't controlling someone's body, but their mind. It manipulates their mind to agree wholeheartedly with what you tell them to do, it doesn't make them a puppet, they know what they're doing, but they agree with it, because their views have changed, their thoughts and all of their memories that have to do with such thing manipulated. Most likely, they will go about with whatever stealthily, because they are smart, or wait until the right moment to reveal where their 'true' loyalty lies. The spell even works through Veritasium. Most of those around them, even their closest companions, don't even know that something is different with them, which is what makes it so dangerous.

A shiver passed through my body as I finished reading the description. "Dark," I muttered, and I saw a note by the side, saying, DON'T USE, TOO DANGEROUS.

"Well, I guess B.L. does have some morals, but not enough to cross off the spell and make it impossible to see," I thought aloud, but I couldn't judge, as I too left the spell name, description, and how to use it untouched.

There were several spells that I decided I would probably never use, but some that weren't actually dark magic, just very ancient and forgotten, that could be quite handy. That was when I opened the last book, on Hereditary magic, that looked the most worn. I looked at the front cover, and then something caught my eye.

Written in the smallest corner was an initial: R.A.B

B.L. clearly signified the Brightest Leo. But R.A.B? Who was that? Was it the same person?

Then my mind started to connect the dots. Leo was a constellation. B could be Black. What was the brightest star on the Leo constellation? It didn't take me long to remember. Regulus.

Regulus Articulus Black, I thought. The younger brother of the notorious Sirius Black. Slytherin. A death eater. 

And perhaps the only person who could teach me what I needed to survive.

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A/N: Sorry, a REALLY short chapter. Anyways, who expected that, though? Reggie? What are your predictions?

And in case you're wondering, Scorpia knows who Reggie is, just not how he died or anything, because of the knowledge Hecate instilled in her. She knows all public knowledge, but nothing more, nothing less.

And Mens Cheirismós? What's up with that? And yes, I did make it up.

1100+ words