The onset panic of an anxiety attack rolled forward as Aries heart rate began to increase, her hands began to shake, chills ran up her spine as she stared at her mother.
"You were never good enough, you were never smart enough, never pretty enough, you are nothing but dead weight to the wizarding world, why do you think Sirius left you? You are worthless! You are nothing! You will NEVER be more than a simple blood traitor!" Walburga spat as her father stepped out of the broom closet with a belt.
"No." Aries whimpered as she felt herself go stiff, she had seen the belt once before and that punishment was the worst by far, excluding the whole knife thing.
"Remus never cared for you! Marlene never wanted you as a friend! She only wanted you hang out with you because of your blood purity! Fabian only wanted the action, he never liked you because of your personality! YOU WILL NEVER BE GOOD ENOUGH!" Orion barked as he handed Walburga the belt.
Aries starting hyperventilating as her body surged in and out with panic, "I-"
"YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE SO SMART, CREATING THAT MAP AND TRYING TO ESCAPE!! THERE IS NO ESCAPE!! YOU CANT LEAVE!! THERES NO WAY OUT!! NOT EVEN ANDROMEDA CAN HELP YOU!!" Walburga screamed as Aries released the tears.
Her body was balled as she sobbed into the wall she was backed into. Aries hardly registered the running steps or the sound of someone yelling a spell. She hadn't noticed the person, or rather, people kneeling around her and shaking her.
"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...I can't do it...I'm sorry." Aries didn't know how long it took for the people around her to shake her out of her trance or how many times she repeated those words.
Though even when the three had her attention, her body was still shaking and her heart still felt like it was going to beat out of her chest.
"Hey, listen to me, it was just a boggart. Look at me, hey, hi. Listen to my voice, you're safe, you're with me." Aries recognized the voice of her younger brother, her body seeming to sense comfort as her shaking began to slow, her breathing was already coming back to its normal speed.
"Look at me, listen to my voice, breathe in from your nose and out through the mouth. There you go, keep looking at me, don't look at the ground, in through the nose and out through the mouth." Regulus was still not used to helping his sister through anxiety attacks, though he was glad it only took ten minutes to get her back this time instead of twenty.
Aries was still on edge as Regulus pulled her into a hug. If anything, Regulus was just glad he just happened to be walking around when Fabian and Gideon found Aries.
Aries felt her shaking cease and her breathing even as she stared into her brothers identical colored eyes.
"I-..I saw mo-mother and father. They h-had a-..a..th-"
"Shh, it was just a boggart." Regulus soothed as her hands twitched slightly, he took his one hand that wasn't holding hers and wiped her tears away, "They can't hurt you, they can't touch you here." Regulus told her.
He realize in that moment, just how brave Aries had been over the years without Sirius. He had noticed how afraid she was of a simple boggart at school when she had always kept such a blank face at home. Regulus then understood how much school meant for Aries, how she wasn't as stiff and emotionless here as she was at home.
He just didn't understand why she hadn't left yet. He didn't understand why Aries wouldn't have fled even if not with Sirius. Regulus couldn't wrap his head around the feeling that Aries was waiting for something, or rather hoping? For anything? A sign maybe to tell her to leave?
"I'm sorry...I'm sorry you had to see that again." Aries spoke quietly to Regulus.
"Rubbish, I'm just glad the twins happened to be there." Regulus admitted.
Aries looked to the side of him to see Fabian and Gideon leaning on the wall beside them.
"How did you find me?" Aries asked as she looked at the two.
"Marlene wanted me to make sure you weren't going to do something stupid so she asked me to keep an eye on you." Gideon explained, "Fabian happened to be around so we followed you to the Gryffindor Tower and down here." He added.
"I was the one that used the spell on the boggart while Gideon got Regulus." Fabian finished as Aries looked down at the ground and began standing up.
"Thank you, both of you." Aries nodded, "but I do have a favor to ask you." She told the two, letting Regulus wrap his arm around her to keep her still slightly shivering body warm, "there's a box outside the Gryffindor common room, do you mind giving that to a boy named Remus Lupin? It's his birthday."
"You mean this one?" Fabian asked, picking up the ribbon wrapped box beside him, "thought it might've been a prank of some sort."
"Just give it to him, don't tell him who it's from. He'll know when he sees the note." Aries asked of them, a slight sadness to her voice.
"Will do. Are you taking her back to the Slytherin common room?" Gideon asked Regulus.
"I think we might stop by the kitchens first, but yeah I'll take her there." Regulus nodded.
"Maybe don't walk the corridors alone all the time?" Fabian said sympathetically towards Aries before the four separated.
"Wait, I want to go to Hagrid's hut, his dragon egg must've hatched by now and I haven't seen him in awhile." Aries asked as he continued to hold her, in fear of her having another anxiety attack.
"We have to get you some food-"
"Hagrid has plenty, I just remembered about the dragon egg and I really want to go." Aries pleaded.
Regulus was surprised at how easily Aries had started begging him to take her to Hagrid and was caught off guard over how much emotion she was showing after that anxiety attack. It wasn't one of her worst but it was still a bad one.
"Ok, ok, lets go to Hagrid's." Regulus nodded.
While Aries and Regulus went to Hargid's Hut, Fabian and Gideon marched into the Gryffindor common room looking like they had this great big announcement, though, their looks didn't get them very far when they entered a huge party.
Maneuvering through the large crowds, the twins managed to locate Remus near the fireplace where he was sitting with his friends.
"Oi, mate!" Gideon spoke up from the crowd and managed to get Fabian in front of him to where his brother could hand the boy the gift.
"It was outside the common room, happy birthday!" Fabian said, practically shoving the box into Remus's hands and hopping off to be in the center of the dance floor.
"We're you expecting?" Sirius yelled over the music.
"Obviously not, Padfoot. I think Moony would have gotten it earlier if he did!" James rolled his eyes.
"Who's it from?!" Peter questioned as the few huddled over the box.
Remus grabbed the small parchment and read it off, "from anonymous, to Rem." He read aloud. The familiar flutter from the nickname got his heart beating just a bit faster. He knew exactly who sent it.
Quickly he opened the parchment and read it, "drink one vile each night the week before the full moon, it will keep you sane. Wolfsbane and all, I'm sorry." He read, keeping his voice lower.
"Wolfsbane?!"
"SHHH!" The group shushed Peter as he read out the unfamiliar word.
"It's supposedly still in the process of being completed and finalized. Technically, wolfsbane is a very complicated potion. Not to mention the rare ingredients. It's a miracle." Remus muttered the last part to himself.
"Wait, so this will make it easier during the full moons?" Sirius asked.
"That, and the fact that this is the first day of the week before the full moon. You gotta take one before midnight." James said before looking down at his watch.
"He has time, but I'd suggest taking one with the pumpkin juice, probably tastes like rubbish." Peter advised.
"But the real question is...who knows about your furry problem?" Sirius asked, "should we be worried about this?"
"No, we'll be fine. I know who sent it." Remus shook his head.
"Who?" James asked.
"The one who figured out there was a solution. The only one smart enough the make such a difficult potion and succeed. The only girl slick enough to try and remain anonymous, as sly as a fox." Remus riddled.
Sirius chuckled as he ran a hand through his hair, "I can't believe it." He shook his head.
"Do you actually think it was her?" Peter asked.
"She's the only other who knows, plus, it shows she still cares." James added.
"If she went through all this trouble to make you something heart felt on your birthday without getting caught...she's got a plan...which means whatever she must've been waiting for, she's ready." Sirius said as he connected the dots in his head.
"What do you mean?" Remus asked, "what does 'shes ready' mean?"
"It means, Aries not going to be sticking around 12 Grimmauld Place for much longer." Sirius grinned.