Growing up Pureblooded

Friend or Foe, Truth and Lies

     Cassiopeia Black swept up the back staircase in a huff, muttering curses under her breath with each step she took. The old witch had actually been rather fond of her nephew James when he was alive, at least after her own fashion, but she had very little tolerance for his portrait, which, she felt, persevered and exaggerated his more unsavory Potter qualities, while minimizing the part of him that had been purely Dorea. She also disapproved on the hold the portrait seemed to have over Aries, and, increasingly Draco. James Potter would have proved a fine godfather, she had no doubt, but he was dead, and it in no way behooved the future Heads of the House of Black and Malfoy to spend their days listening to stories about James and Sirius's little gang and plotting in all manner of pranks. If Aries and Draco had not both proved such apt pupils and proper little gentlemen when the situation demanded it, Cassiopeia would have smashed the portrait in a heartbeat. As it was, she was forced to admit that the boys generally behaved properly during their lessons and at public or adult occasions, more so even than most boys of their age and class, and so she resisted her violent urges. But she kept close eye on her nephew's portrait.

     Once she returned to her suite, Cassiopeia cleaned up the debris of the boy's offensive prank with a flick of her wand and a slight smile. Even she had to admire the boys' cunning, though she would never have admitted it to anyone, not in a million lifetimes. She returned to her mirror and resumed placing her long hair into its customary bun. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a shape in her Foe-Glass and started. Her eyes narrowed. An enemy was close  and in this very house- one who meant harm to her family and her plans. Cassiopeia Disillusioned herself and slipped silently back down the staircase as quickly as she could. The Squibs would never hold up against an enemy wizard for even a second. Cassiopeia was only grateful that Aries and Draco had gone to Grimmauld Place. She silently commanded her wards not to allow them to return, nor allow any witch or wizard to enter or leave the house until the danger had passed.

     She reached the bottom of the steps and entered the dining room. Marius stood there alongside a young man with awful orange hair and shockingly shabby robes. His wand was out. Marius was ashen. "You don't understand, Moony," James's portrait pleaded. "It's not what it looks like." "Your son has been kidnapped by your uncle, is being raised as the son of the traitor who murdered you, and is happily playing pranks on a mad old harpy who merrily threatens six-year-old children with the Cruciatus Curse," the young man retorted. "What am I missing?" Cassiopeia raised her wand and silently Stunned the raving fool. Mad old harpy, indeed, she thought. She removed her Disillusionment and smirked at the horrified looks on the faces of her brother and nephew. "Apparently, the fool has missed quite a bit," she drawled. 

     She ignored Marius's muttering and James's shouting as she levitated the young man's immobile form up the stairs to her rooms, carefully keeping his head from knocking against the stairs. When she reached her suite she laid the wizard on a small divan before shutting and locking all the doors. She absolutely loathed unexpected disturbances. She Conjured heavy iron shackles and bound the wizard's feet to the floor and arms to the ceiling. "Ennervate," she muttered, and the wizard returned to consciousness. "You," he mumbled when he saw her. "I," Cassiopeia replied brightly. "The mad old harpy. Crucio!" The wizard cried out in agony as her curse rippled through his body. She held her wand in place for a full minute before she stopped.

     "Now," Cassiopeia continued imperiously, "tell me your name and why you have come into my home." "My name is Remus Lupin," the wizard said defiantly. "As for why I have come here, that is my affair." Cassiopeia shook her head. "That's the wrong answer, I'm afraid, Mr. Lupin." She sighed. "Fortunately for you, I'm going over to my cousin's for lunch in just a little over an hour, and have no time to linger while we wait for you to come to your senses." She summed a phial from her cabinet. "Veritaserum ought to loosen your tongue." She forced the potion down Lupin's throat, and in a moment the familiar dazed look appeared in his eyes, She began the interrogation.

     "What is your full name?" 

     "Remus John Lupin." 

     "Why have you come into my home?" 

     "I came searching for Harry Potter," Lupin replied. Cassiopeia scowled. "And what, pray tell, made you believe that you would find the Boy Who Lived in this house?" "Harry Potter was kidnapped from his Muggle relatives' home several months ago," Lupin began. "Albus Dumbledore asked me to help locate him. The memories of Harry's guardians had been modified, but I interviewed several others, including Harry's cousin. From them I learned the circumstances of Harry's departure, as well as the description and surname of the kidnappers and their preference for Muggle transportation." Lupin paused. "The Muggles abused Harry terribly, locking him in a cupboard under the stairs, beating him, calling him a worthless freak, and starving him. I came to believe that the kidnapper was motivated by good intentions. I remembered that James's uncle was a Black and a Squib, and decided to investigate in the archives. It took a long time, but I discovered that around the time Harry vanished, Marius Black had taken in a boy the same age, claiming him to be the son of Sirius Black." "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." "Might he have delayed the journey to avoid detection?" Remus shook his head. "Sirius wouldn't have been able to stand 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 expression. They has 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 realized what 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 cruller. "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 it 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 consequences. 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 had 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 mold and shape. She smiled proudly; Marius's plan was 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. "Oblivate," she whispered. "Imperio."