Growing up Pureblooded

Jealousy and New Tricks

So I have been exposed to COVID and am not allowed at work, I go to get tested tomorrow. so in leu of being able to go to work, y'all get to have extra Growing Up Pureblood!

     The family returned to England on August 3, leaving Aries, Draco, and Sirius to enjoy the rest of their summer in peace. They played a lot of Quidditch and explored the woods around the chateau, but mostly Sirius helped the boys as they practiced spells. Aries and Draco already knew dozens of incantations, and they had been memorizing wand movements ever since Cassiopeia had given them practice wands, but it proved to be a rather difficult task for the boys to combine their external technique with their magic. One day they were working on the Levitation Charm, the weather was sweltering, and they neither boy had been having any luck. Aries was getting rather annoyed.  "Come on Aries," Sirius urged. "You have to envision the feather flying. Picture your magic reaching out through the wand and lifting it up into the air."

     "Wingardium Leviosa," Aries intoned for the fifth time, this time finally, his feather soared gracefully into the air. Draco clapped. "You did it! Now it's my turn." He hopped off the fence on which he was sitting and ran over. Aries levitated the feather back to its original spot on a large rock. Draco drew his wand and slashed it at the feather. "Wingardium Leviosa" he said and the feather moved slightly. "Focus Draco," Sirius said, "Your wand isn't a battle axe. Try to ease up just a bit.  Draco tried again, and this time sent the feather soaring "Well done," Sirius said, clapping Draco on the back. "And only on your second try." "Good Job Draco," Aries mumbled, but his heart wasn't in it. He wasn't used to being beaten by Draco in lessons, and didn't think he liked it. "I want to try again," Draco said, but Sirius stopped him. "Wait, it's Aries turn." "No, It's alright," Aries said glumly, "I'm done for now. You go ahead." Sirius frowned, but went back to helping Draco. Aries felt something roar in anger deep inside him. Sirius was supposed to be his dad, wasn't he, and Aries was always the best in lessons. Draco proved stiff competition, of course, but this time he had gotten the spell in half the time that it had taken Aries.

    You're being stupid he told himself. Draco was only a bit ahead of you, and he had the chance to watch Dad work with you. But Dad's working with him now. Aries thought back to his first conversation with Draco, in which eh had promised not to steal Draco's parents as long as Draco didn't steal the Squibs. They had kept that bargain, but they had never discussed what to do it Sirius came back into the pictures. You wanted Dad to give Draco some attention, remember? Shut up. Aries wandered off into the woods. He snorted. Dad and Draco probably wouldn't even notice. He followed a little stream as it wound its way through the trees, kicking off clots of mud into the clear water as he walked. There all of a sudden was an angry hiss down by his feet.

     "You're disturbing my nest human," he heard, and quickly turned to see an enormous adder. "Leave me alone," Aries commanded, and the snake pulled back. "I have head of you, my lord," it hissed back. "You are the great wizard who can speak the noble tongue." "How great of a wizard can I be if it takes me five tries to get the Levitation Charm?" He sat down by the side of the stream. "Draco got it in two." The snake laughed. "There is more than one kind of magic, is there not?" Can this Draco speak with serpents?" "NO," "Then there is at least one way in which you are his superior." "I don't want to be his superior," Aries said, but the hissing rang false even to his own ears. "If that's true, then why does it bother you that the other boy outperforms you? Does he always do so?" Aries shook his head. "No, if anything it's usually the other way around." "Does the other boy storm off when you surpass him?" Aries laughed despite himself. "Sometimes, but not often." "Is this Draco your bitter enemy?" "Not at all, He's my cousin, practically my brother." The snake slithered closer to Aries, "Forgive me my lord, but I am afraid I do not see the cause of your frustration." Aries paused, "I guess I am used to being the center of everyone attention," he said, but that didn't feel right either. "Is everyone paying Draco a great deal of attention?" Aries sighed, "No, It's just my dad." The snake hissed triumphantly. "Now I understand You are possessive of your parent. You wish to keep him entirely for yourself." 

     "I wanted Dad to spend some time with Draco," Aries said in feeble protest, though he knew the snake was right. "He's my best friend, and his own dad doesn't pay much attention to him, except when he gets in trouble." "Do you believe that your parent has come to care for your friend, more than he does for you?" Aries thought about that. "No." "Do you wish for your parent to care for your friend less than he does?" Aries shook his head, "I'm being stupid aren't I?" "I cannot judge that, my lord," the snake replied. "I do not understand the complexities of interpersonal human relationships." It paused. "However, if you value this Draco highly....." "I do," Aries said earnestly. "And if you wish your parent also to value Draco....." "I do." "Then it would seem you have received exactly what you wished for." "In other words, I'm being stupid" Aries replied. Picking himself off the grass. "Thank you for listening." "Any time noble sorcerer." the snake hissed back. "May I make a small request my lord?" "Of course, you just listened to me, its the least I could do." "Could you show me some magic?" Aries laughed and pointed his wand at a twig on the grass. "Wingardium Leviosa" he hissed, and was stunned when the two flew thirty feet into the air. The snake was impressed. "My lord is a very powerful wizard. Where id you learn the classical tongue of the Serpent Lords?" Aries stared at the snake blankly. "What do you mean?" "You delivered your incantation in the ancient tongue." "I said the spell in Parseltongue?" Aries was surprised. He had not meant to do that. "Indeed my lord," the snake said. "I wonder if that is why the spell was more powerful," Aries mused. He tried another spell with which he had yet to have much success. "Augamenti," he hissed, and a torrent of water burst forth from the tip of his wand. "Impressive" said the snake. 

     "This is brilliant!" Aries exclaimed, all his anger and frustration forgotten. "I've got to show Dad and Draco." He bade the adder farewell and ran off back in the direction of his father and cousin. "There you are Aries," Draco said when Aries cam back. The blonde boy was standing alone by the fence where they had be practicing. "We were wondering where you ran off to. Uncle Sirius went to go look for you." He beamed. "I managed the Aguamenti Charm, and Alohomora too." "Well done," Aries said with a good deal more enthusiasm then he had when Draco had mastered the Levitation Charm. "I did Aguamenti too. Look at this." He raised his wand and let out a strangled hiss. A torrent of water once again burst from the tip of his wand. "Wicked!" Draco's eyes were wide with excitement. "Did you say the spell in Parseltongue?" Aries nodded eagerly. "I didn't even know I could." Sirius came jogging down from the house, When he say Aries he breathed a deep sigh of relief. "There you are Aries," he panted. "I was worried about you." "Sorry Dad," Aries replied feeling foolish about his earlier bout of jealousy. "I just needed a walk, that's all." "Look what he can do, Uncle Sirius," Draco said eagerly. "Show him Aries." Aries leveled his wand towards the feather with which they had been practicing and hissed. The feather burst into flames. Sirius applauded. "That was fantastic! I never knew you could do spells in Parseltongue." "I didn't either Dad. I was talking to a snake in the woods and it asked to see some magic. I suppose I forgot to switch to human speech before I said the spell, and the twig shot thirty feet into the air!'' "Do you think Parseltongue makes your spells more powerful?" Draco asked. "I don't know," Aries said. "It looks like it. " Sirius stroked his bear thoughtfully "We'll have to look into it. It could be that the Parseltongue just helps you focus better. That's why we use Latin for spells after all. Perhaps Aunt Cassie will have an idea. Draco and Aries groaned in unison. "She's going to go on and on about this until Christmas," Aries grumbled. Draco nodded. "And once she gets going, everyone else will join in. We'll never hear the end of it." Sirius chuckled. "Or we can keep it a secret." Both boys nodded enthusiastically.