Growing up Pureblooded

Magnadoleo

"I'll get you, Black!" Draco Malfoy shouted, firing a Stinging Hex at his cousin from atop his broomstick. It was the last week of summer, and the two boys had gone with Sirius to stay with Melania Black at the family chateau in the south of France. "You ought to know better than to cross Lord Draco the Malevolent." Aries dodged the hex with ease, and fired off his own curse in response, a nasty little spell he had invented only a week before with a bit of help from his magical diary and the wizard whose memories it contained: Tom Riddle. "Magnadoleo," he whispered, and Draco cried out in pain, nearly falling from his broomstick. "NO UNFORGIVABLES!" he shouted over his shoulder. "That's always been the rule." "I didn't use an Unforgivable," Aries replied smoothly, the edges of his lips twitching a bit.

Draco flew around and hovered directly in front of his cousin. His expression was livid. "Yes, you did," he growled. "That was the Cruciatus, Aries. It hurts!" "It wasn't the Cruciatus," Aries insisted. "It's a new spell I invented." He smirked. "Though I suppose it might have been inspired by the same principle." "You're not playing fair," Draco snapped. Aries yawned. "All's fair in love and war. Besides, how is it any different from a Stinging Hex?" "It hurts a hell of a lot worse!" Draco complained. "That's a difference of degree, not kind," Aries pointed out. Draco sighed. He knew when he was beaten. "Fine," he said petulantly. "But the gloves are coming off now." Aries let out a robust laugh. "Good. I want you to try your best, cousin. We'll see who's been stuck at Hogwarts and who's been home taking lessons with Aunt Cassie."

Draco flew off, grumbling, and Aries gave chase. He was amused at his cousin's reaction to the curse. He and Riddle had specifically designed it to give pain without inflicting any damage or leaving any traces. Riddle thought that it might prove a useful way of controlling one's minions. Aries didn't give much thought to minions at this point in his life, though he was always interested in gaining the edge in a friendly duel.

Draco swerved around and fired off a series of curses. Aries blocked most of them, but one got through, slashing a gash in his left arm. "Damn you, Malfoy," Aries swore, and fired off a Bone-Breaking Curse in response. Draco executed a perfect flip, barely moving himself out of the way of Aries's curse. Unfortunately for him, he moved the tail of his broom directly into Aries's line of fire. "Reducto!" Aries shouted, and the back of his cousin's broom exploded. Draco hurtled towards the ground, and Aries dived to intercept him. He maneuvered his broom into Draco's path, and his cousin landed roughly in Harry's waiting arms.

"I win, I think," Aries said with a grin. "Sod off, Aries," Draco said bitterly. "That was my new broom." Aries shrugged. "I'm sure Granddad will buy you a new one." "He won't be happy about it." Draco lamented. "Tell him we were dueling and I destroyed it," Aries said nonchalantly. "It will suddenly become a remarkable display of my prodigious talent." Draco scowled at his cousin, mostly because he knew Aries was exactly right.

Aries and Draco glided gently to the ground, where Sirius was waiting for them with a frown on his handsome features. "You're bleeding, Aries," he observed. "And what happened to your broom, Draco?" "Aries blasted it into oblivion," Draco growled, hopping off his cousin's broomstick. Sirius rolled his eyes. "You two have been playing rough this summer," he observed. "You never used to cast anything so dangerous." "We're growing up, Dad," Aries said. "We've got to keep ourselves challenged." "Well, I suppose I can't argue with that," his dad replied. "Though I wish you'd be more careful with each other. If I didn't know better, I'd get the idea that you didn't much like each other."

Aries laughed, but Draco scowled at him. Sirius sighed and waved his wand, instantly healing Aries's cut. "Unfortunately, your broomstick won't be so easy to fix," he said to Draco. "Aries will buy you a new one out of his allowance." Aries groaned, but knew better than to complain. He supposed it was fair. He had purposely destroyed his cousin's broomstick. Draco, for his part, brightened up considerably after Sirius's announcement and shook hands with his cousin. "Congratulations, Aries," he said. "That was an excellent duel." "Thank you, Draco," Aries responded graciously. "You put up quite a fight."

Once it was clear that everyone was once again on amicable terms, Sirius Summoned two broomsticks from the chateau, handing one to Draco and mounting the other. "So, who's up for a race?" he asked as he floated into the sky. "Brooms only. No wands allowed." Aries and Draco exchanged grins and followed Sirius into the air.