✯ ✯ ✯
Antares tried to enjoy the rest of the night, and for the most part, he did. Cole, Devon and Kerrianne all saw him talking to Nicholas Caverly. While they knew it was unavoidable, they all grumbled about how their patriarch could've been more courteous and waited until the morning. So when Antares slipped away from the party, none of his friends moved to stop him. Devon understood, telling him there would be a drink waiting for him for him when he came back. Kerrianne nodded to him with her drink raised while Cole offered to go with him.
It was nice of him, but Antares knew he had to do this alone.
After exiting through the front doors of the Mercier Manor, Antares called out for the Kelly family house-elf.
Fizkey, with his long, pointed ears and excited eyes, was a welcoming sight when he materialized in front of Antares with a polite bow. "Master Antares! Fizkey is so happy to hear your call! What is it you require, sir?"
Antares winced. The last time he saw Fizkey was when he had left for London in the summer. The ever-loyal servant of his family took pride in staying at the Kelly Manor, promising to do his best to look after it and its sole resident. Seeing the house-elves of Grimmauld Place didn't do anything to ease his consciousness, though it did make him exceedingly grateful that Fizkey's personality was like it was. Personally, he would like to keep his gloves as a matching pair. It wasn't that Antares liked the idea, but in truth, there was no alternative. A house-elf that no longer enjoyed serving their masters was no house-elf at all. It would be crueller to keep them in servitude than to set them free.
"Apparate us to the manor," he ordered calmly, extending his hand.
"Yes, Master Antares, at once!" Fizkey cheered, and Antares closed his eyes, bracing himself for the uncomfortably long apparition. When finally he felt all motion cease, he shuddered a breath at the familiar sight.
Three stories of architectural splendour starkly contrasted the backdrop of the large and wild forest. Crafted from bright sandstone and accented with black mahogany, the Kelly Manor stood proudly, nestled within the untamed beauty of the Northern Territory. Where Grimmauled Place boasted height, Antares' home beat it through sheer size. Above the manor's entrance sat a stained glass mosaic bearing the Kelly family crest of two rampant horses, one grey and one black, mirroring each other on a field of navy blue. In between them was a gold spear pointed towards the sky.
In the foyer, Antares' boots created echoes against the mahogany floors. There was no centrepiece in the room. There didn't need to be. The walls of the foyer were more than enough. Each wall depicted favoured gods from Celtic mythology, carved into the stone and animated just enough to make them look like living, breathing statues.
The wall on Antares' left bore scenes of Lugh of the Long Arm, god of justice and nobility and ruler of the Tuatha Dé Danann, a supposedly supernatural race of magic-wielding humans. The first scene was of Lugh standing over the grave of his father, vowing revenge against Tuireann, the god of thunder, and his three sons, who were responsible. The second carving showed him brandishing the mighty Spear of Assal against hordes of enemies in the battle of Moytura. Beside it, the last carving showed something much different. Lugh, now crowned King, granted mercy to Bres, leader of the opposing army, forcing him to plough fields as penitence.
Opposite him, on the wall on the right, showed Antares' favourite hero, Cú Chulainn, son of Lugh and a demigod. He was said to be a fearless and deadly warrior, unmatched and unbreakable. The carving closest to the door portrayed Cú Chulainn in his youth slaying the vicious hound of Culann, earning him the title "Hound of Culann." In the middle, the image of Cú Chulainn healing the wounds of an old crone, who later revealed herself as Morrigan, goddess of fate and death. In turn, Morrigan gifted Cú Chulainn with the prophecy of his death. The furthest carving was just that, Cú Chulainn's body tied to a standing stone using his own entrails with a raven (Morrigan herself) on his shoulder proclaiming his death. Even dead, Cú Chulainn was able to cut the hand off of his arch nemesis, who tried to take his head.
Finally, the ceiling hailed a single image of Morrigan, arms outstretched and screaming. Her cries drove the Tuatha Dé Danann to bloodlust, helping them to win the battle of Moytura and drive the opposing army into the sea.
Moving forward, Antares ascended the grand staircase, the railing cool beneath his touch despite the sconces of open flame that lit the way. Unlike Hogwarts, Mercier Manor, or even Grimmauld Place, no portraits lined the walls, keeping the manor quiet and unassuming. Royal blue carpet led the way to each floor, where Antares made his way up to the second story— the one with the bedrooms.
In the east wing, he found the last door in the corridor. Antares pushed the door open with a gentle creak, revealing a spacious room bathed in the soft glow of candlelight. The air was infused with the scent of dried herbs and lavender— her favourite. The walls were rung with cream-coloured velvet curtains, and a large four-poster bed dominated the center of the room, a window nearby shining moonlight across the drapes. Resting peacefully in the bed lay Marissa Kelly, the matriarch of the Kelly family, but more importantly, Mum.
Placing himself in the plush wingback armchair he had left at her bedside, Antares was careful not to jostle the smooth duvet. Her condition hadn't changed much in the time that he was gone. She had been sleeping when he left, much like she was now. On her hand, Antares caught the glint of his family's signet ring, a bronze band embossed with the crest of Clann Kelly.
Antares turned to look at the assortment of balms and healing potions Fizkey left on the nightstand, becoming interested in a moving photograph that caught his eye. It was of him and his mother on his eleventh birthday. A younger Antares smiled widely, his messy black hair falling into his eyes while Marissa crouched beside him. They were both holding his Hogwarts acceptance letter to the camera.
A melancholy smile eased its way onto his face. It had been such a happy moment. He'd been so excited to go to school where his father had. Antares reached for the frame, tracing the edges gently. A sigh escaped him.
"I saw where he grew up, you know?" Antares said softly. "You were right; I thought it was dreadful."
The room seemed to absorb his words, the only response being the faint sputtering of the sconces.
Antares continued, unperturbed by the silence, "Sirius gave me his room, and it was small and cramped and filled with so much Death Eater paraphernalia that it almost felt like a prison." He shook his head. "It was so different from how you described him."
"Everyone at Hogwarts always whispered about how terrible the Black family was, so I tried to be different, but it never mattered. After seeing Grimmauld Place, I don't think I can tell anyone else about him," Antares said. "Of course, Lupin knows now. He took a poorly educated guess and thought you and Sirius were together."
Antares set the photograph back on the nightstand, his gaze returning to his mother's peaceful form. "And... I told Vita," he admitted. "I had to. She didn't judge me for it, and, for some reason, that makes her different. I can't figure out if it's a good different or a complicated different, but Vita... she gets it, you know? She doesn't care about my family name or what my father did. It's refreshing and unnerving all at once."
Vita was a constant in his life during his Hogwarts years, never failing to offer her unwavering support. He always admired her for that— and her strength. She was never afraid to challenge him.
And she called him a prince.
Antares pushed back his hair, fingers weaving through the waves. "I brought Harry here," he said with exasperation. "You would like him, I think, or maybe you would hate him after the whole Heir of Slytherin disaster. Sirius loves him like a son, so I promised to protect him, but to be honest, I don't know how to do that. Really, all I've done is hurt him, and now, Nic thinks I've jeopardized the Circle, and maybe he's right."
He turned to stare out the window. "You would be yelling at me right now if you could. Maybe that's what I need right now— someone to tell me I've messed up."
But there was no yelling, and Antares couldn't decide what was worse.
The room remained a silent witness to Antares' confessions. He let out a self-deprecating chuckle, his fingers absently tracing the contours of the wingback chair. "I sound pathetic, don't I?"
"I'm trying, Mum," he promised. "For you, for the Circle, but this is turning out to be much harder than I thought it would be. I want to do right by you. I'm just not sure what 'right' looks like anymore."
Antares leaned forward and grasped his mother's hand, feeling the cold bronze against his fingers. He was wholly unprepared for the onslaught of images that flooded him.
✯ ✯ ✯
As promised, Antares had them out of the continent after a well-deserved Mercier-style breakfast complete with artisanal French pastries, freshly baked quiches, and a champagne pick-me-up.
Sneaking back into Hogwarts was no easy feat. Since they were out in broad daylight, the boats were no longer an option, and apparating inside was impossible. After casting Disillusionment Charms on all of them, Antares led them to the secret passageway under Honeyduke's, using it to get them into the castle. Once Fred and George realized where exactly they were going, they tried to pry information out of him, wanting to know how he knew about the hidden passage.
Of course, Antares would never tell them about the ungodly amount of hours he spent at The Three Broomsticks.
After that night, things seemed smooth out. The holidays were fast approaching, and with it came the ease of a much-needed break. The DA continued to flourish under Harry with steady progress; they managed to reteach the Impediment Jinx in the last session, and Hermione proved herself to be quite cunning, enchanting a handful of galleons with a Protean Charm. For a witch who was very adamant about adhering to the rules, she had no issue finding ways to bend them in her favour.
As for Antares, he set his mind towards interests outside of Hogwarts. He received a letter declaring the Australian Wizarding Invitational Duelling Championship postponed until next year. In frustration, he let Peri shred the parchment and use it for nesting material. With the event pushed to the following year, he was forced to take an unwanted break from his chosen career. While unfortunate, it left the All-England Wizarding Duelling Competition as the next big event. This is how Antares found himself in the Room of Requirement after hours, practicing on the training dummies in solitude.
For any devoted competitor, duelling was synonymous with dancing. It was a series of moves and counters, each participant responding to the other's actions with a well-improvised routine. Spellcasting was a fluid exchange, a back-and-forth that demanded precision and creativity. A good duel was melody, but a great duel was a symphony.
Antares could feel a droplet of sweat run down from his hairline as he battled an enchanted dummy in the centre of the room. It was the fourth duel of the night, and the exchange was going on longer than he expected, nearing the fifteen-minute mark. Behind him, after narrowly dodging an Incarcerous, the door to the Room of Requirement creaked open. The sound of hushed voices reached his ears, but Antares couldn't afford to turn around.
"Is he always in here this late?" he heard a feminine Irish lilt ask.
"I don't know."
Now, that voice was unmistakable. If Harry was sneaking around with a girl, then it was, without a doubt, Cho Chang. Antares was surprised; he didn't think Harry had the courage to ask her out.
"I knew he duelled, but I've never seen him do it."
"He's really something," Cho murmured, her gaze fixed on Antares.
Harry nodded, a reluctant smile forming. "Yeah, he is."
Antares silently preened under the praise. He would've stopped the duel to address them, but now he felt the need to make a show of it. Another minute of colourful spellcasting later, he could still feel eyes on him, and with a well-timed Diffindo, Antares severed the wand-arm of the dummie. The silence that followed was palpable, broken only by the soft thud of the disarmed dummy hitting the floor. Antares turned around, a confident smirk playing on his features as he faced Harry and Cho.
"Harry, Cho," he drawled, "I didn't know you liked to watch."
Where Harry looked innocently confused, Cho blushed heavily, averting her eyes in an attempt to hide her face.
"Sorry, we didn't know you were in here, Ares, or we would've found another room," Harry said.
Antares chuckled, his smirk widening. "Clearly. Otherwise, you might have picked a different location for your rendezvous."
Cho's expression shifted to a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance. "It's not what you think," she muttered, shooting Harry a pointed look.
Antares raised an eyebrow, thoroughly enjoying himself. "Oh, of course not."
Harry looked somewhat relieved that Antares wasn't making a bigger deal out of it. He knew the Slytherin wouldn't hesitate to make far meaner digs at him in the name of fun. "Well, at least my rendezvous doesn't involve inanimate objects."
"Harry!" Cho gasped. She jumped back a step, looking abashed. "Can we please just leave?"
Antares waved a dismissive hand. "Oh, no need to leave on my account. I've had my fun for the night. Besides, the Room of Requirement can be quite accommodating."
As Harry and Cho made their way to a more secluded corner of the room, Antares pocketed his wand in its holster. When he reached the edge of the room, hands pulling the doors closed, he offered one last piece of advice.
"Try not to disturb the dummies. They're still a bit touchy," he said, glancing at the severed dummy arm that was still twitching on the floor.
✯ ✯ ✯
If anyone actually knows Celtic lore feel free to correct me on any of it. I tried to stay as true as I could.
Of all the times I mentioned Marissa Kelly, was this how you expected to meet her?
Be sure to VOTE and COMMENT to show your support. FEEDBACK is always appreciated and feel free to ask any questions you may have!
~Hircines