The Next Dark Lord

'And what makes you believe that Aries is not the son of Sirius Black?' Cassiopeia asked.

'I was very close to Sirius. We, James and Peter were together almost constantly. There is no way Sirius could have secretly married without our knowing about it. Furthermore, August 1, 1980 was listed as the date of the boy's birth, but I was in close quarters with Sirius that entire week, and would have known if he had gone to France to see his son.'

'Mightn't he have delayed the journey in order to avoid detection?'

Remus shook his head. 'Sirius could never have stood it. He would have wanted to be there right away. Moreover, he never showed any romantic interest in Regina Malfoy. At one point after Hogwarts, he actually encouraged me to ask her out.'

Cassiopeia frowned. That level of deception did seem uncharacteristic of her bombastic great-nephew. Under other circumstances she might have dismissed Lupin's theories as evidence of a diseased mind, but she had seen Marius and James's expressions. They had seemed only frustrated at Lupin, but positively terrified at the sight of Cassiopeia. In her view, this lent some legitimacy to Lupin's claims. But there were other questions.

'What you are saying cannot be accurate,' she mused. 'I performed a series of powerful tests on the boy, which he passed. There's no way...' A thin smile spread across her face as she realised what had occurred. 'I ought to give my little brother more credit. He must have commissioned the Sanguinis Impostor potion. It's the only explanation.' Her smile grew broader and crueller. 'Yes, everything makes sense now.'

This explained the incredible closeness between Aries and James's portrait, as well as the boy's eagerness to please, which, welcome as it was, did not ordinarily result from growing up as the only child in a wealthy, pureblood home. But if Aries was not Sirius's son at all, but rather James's, raised for the first part of his life by filthy Muggles, things were different.

Cassiopeia thought this development might also explain Aries' unique talents. He was a Parselmouth, a rare gift that had never before appeared in either of the Black or Malfoy lines, distinguished as they both were. The Potters, too, as far as Cassiopeia knew, had no Parselmouth ancestors. But James's wife's ancestry was unknown. It was assumed she was a Mudblood, but it was quite possible she came from a Squib line.

More likely, given her substantial skills, she was a pureblood orphan who had somehow wound up in a Muggle orphanage and been adopted. The actual facts were of no consequence. All that mattered was that Lily Evans had obviously been a descendant of Salazar Slytherin. Cassiopeia thought that perhaps she ought to treat Lily's portrait with more respect.

This, of course, explained the Dark Lord's attempt on Harry Potter's life. He-Who-Must-Not-Be Named had clearly learnt of Harry's exalted lineage and discovered his power. Not able to abide such a threat, he decided to murder the boy and finish off the opposition. This made perfect sense to Cassiopeia. It was the sort of thing she would have done had she been in the Dark Lord's position.

But Harry Potter had not only survived, but defeated the Dark Lord in the process. Cassiopeia cackled. It was brilliant! The boy was clearly a Dark wizard of prodigious talent. Marius had learnt of the circumstances the boy endured and decided to claim him for the House of Black. Cassiopeia approved wholeheartedly, since it meant that the greatest Dark Lord of all time was hers to mould and shape. She smiled proudly. Marius's plan had been worthy of Slytherin himself.

There were gaps, it was true, but now that Cassiopeia knew what they were, she could mend them. She turned her wand back on Lupin.

'Obliviate,' she whispered. 'Imperio.'

....

When Remus Lupin left Windermere Court that day, he said nothing to anyone. As soon as left the street he forgot where he was and why he had come there. He went home via a circuitous route and directly composed the following letter to Albus Dumbledore.

Dear Professor Dumbledore, he wrote.

I regret to inform you that my investigation has proved only partially successful. The Dursleys' neighbours on Privet Drive were able to identify Harry's kidnapper only as a blonde woman with an American accent. I have done my best to investigate further, but have been stymied at every turn. I think it most likely that the woman and Harry have left the country.

I am sorry that I can be of no further help in this matter.

Sincerely yours,

Remus J. Lupin

After sending the letter, Remus put his Potter photos back in storage. As he caught a glimpse of Sirius's happy face, he sighed, and thought of all the innocent lives the traitor had ruined: James, Lily and Harry, of course, but also lovely Regina and poor Aries, who would never know his father. Remus thought momentarily of writing a letter to Regina and Aries in France, but soon reconsidered. There was no need to stir up painful memories.

.....

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