A Wizards Fairytale

Chapter 13

Aries and Rue were waiting for their team outside. Rue had finished her cigarette, but Aries was still working on his. Unlike Rue, who chain-smoked constantly, he liked to take the time to enjoy the smoke. He could almost feel the nicotine soaking into his system. Rue had debunked this once, stating, "The only thing you're feeling is the decay of your lungs." Maybe it wasn't true, but Aries still liked the feeling of smoking slowly.

Realizing his cigarette was down to a stub, he threw it to the ground and crushed it with the tip of his shoe. Emma, Marsaille, and Isamu approached. "Plant the information?" he asked bluntly.

Emma nodded, her kind face suddenly dead serious. "Even gave the Mrs. a look at my star. They should be curious enough."

"Good," he said, pulling out his wand.

"Why does the boss want us to feed them information anyway?" Mu asked, leaning back on the cold stone pillars of the castle.

Rue shrugged. "It's not our job to ask questions," she replied. Truthfully , she had no clue. It was sort of troubling that their boss, probably the most paranoid man on Earth, would have them purposely leak information. This organization, their organization, had been the stuff of myths and legends for years, and most were intent on keeping it this way.

The organization itself wasn't doing anything most governments didn't do. They spied, fought, and basically did whatever their orders told them to. It was how the organization was ran that made it so mysterious. 80% of the members joined before they were seventeen.

Aries had joined when he was thirteen, right after his mother died. She had left debts, the kind that could not be paid in money. Aries had taken on her debts as well as working off his own. The training he and Rue had received as children had not come free. They were all bound, even Henri. Aries and Rue had been doing this since they were thirteen. Isamu had been with them for two years. Marsaille and Emma had joined last year. Aries and Rue were appointed the leaders due to both experience and tradition.

Sighing, Aries put his wand to the usually concealed star tattoo at his wrist. Unlike the star Emma had let his biological mother see, which was six-pointed yellow star outlined in blue, Aries's star was blue and outlined in silver. It signified his leader status and also meant he could activate it for help or transportation out of a sticky situation. Most in Great Britain would compare it to the Dark Mark, but the truly well-educated would know that Voldemort had actually stolen said idea for a legendary organization he had come across in his extensive reading at school.

"Let die Stars schützen und glänzen," Aries murmured, waiting for the familiar pull at his navel. The star worked a lot like a Portkey except it was unnecessary for everyone to be touching one object since they were all connected via tattoo.

"Let the holidays begin," Mu joked darkly as they were whisked away.

A majority of students, both Hogwarts and visiting, opted to go home for Christmas celebrations the day after the ball. Floos in Hogsmeade were made available to everyone, though the wealthier pureblood families simply had their house elves Apparate them home, a practice that enraged Hermione Granger to no end. There were students who decided to stay. The Weasleys stayed since their parents were spending the holiday with their eldest son Bill and his new wife, Fleur. Gabrielle, eager to visit her sister, had joined them. This left Jacques stranded at Hogwarts alone as Iris had gone home to Greece for the family celebration. No one had seen Aries since the ball, but he had sent for his stuff.

When Jacques asked if Aries was meeting her at their grandparents' house, she laughed. "Aries doesn't ever spend the holidays in Greece," she explained. "It's too crowded for him. Every cousin, uncle, aunt, and distantly related relative is there. He likes to avoid that. Most likely, he and Lena will spend Christmas with Henri."