A/N I decided to post an extra chapter. I had some time to work on it so I got an extra chapter done. Enjoy!!! There will still be the regular update tomorrow as well.
That evening, Sirius, Cassiopeia and Clytemnestra sat quietly in the drawing room of Windermere Court. Clytemnestra was playing some Beethoven quietly on the piano, whilst Sirius read a mystery novel and Cassiopeia looked over Aries's essay. "This is really very impressive work, Sirius," she commented. "I've never seen anything so advanced from a twelve-year-old. I don't know whether his new curse is capable of the same power as the Cruciatus, but it's certainly an intriguing idea." "What have I done wrong?" Sirius moaned. "He's the perfect Black." "Watch the whinging, Sirius," Clytemnestra said from the piano. "Besides, there's nothing wrong with being the perfect Black." "James and Lily would kill me, you know," Sirius said. "I've raised their son to be the sort of boy who works on improving the Unforgivables for fun." "I doubt you had very much to do with that, dear,' Cassiopeia said. "Don't forget, you've only been out of prison for a couple of years. I've been tutoring him for much longer than that."
Sirius rolled his eyes. "I can't believe I went along with it." "It's not as though you had much choice," Cassiopeia snapped. "You had either to go along with my plan or allow Dumbledore to send potentially the most powerful wizard in centuries to live with those wretched Muggles." "Good point," Sirius conceded. "I just wish it hadn't come to this." "You worry too much, Sirius," Clytemnestra said. "There's nothing wrong with a good theoretical grasp of special magic. Even dear Marius liked to dabble in the theory." "Precisely, Clytemnestra," Cassiopeia replied. "Why, I..." She trailed off and held her hand to her head. "My head," she moaned. "It hurts." After a moment, she collapsed in her chair. Sirius and Clytemnestra jumped up and ran to her side. She was very pale and clammy. Sirius checked her pulse. "It's very weak," he said. "We need to get her to St Mungo's now. MOPSY!"
The house elf appeared in the drawing room and bowed. "Yes, Master Sirius?" "Pop over to St Mungo's and get a Healer at once," Sirius commanded. "Miss Cassie is very ill." Mopsy paused. "Is Miss Cassie being in mortal danger, Master Sirius?" "Possibly!" Sirius snapped. "So hurry!" "Just a moment, Master," Mopsy said, and vanished. She reappeared a moment later with a brilliant flask of wine-red liquid. She handed it to Sirius. "Master Aries commanded Mopsy to fetch this if ever any of the family were being in mortal danger, Master Sirius," she said timidly. "Master Aries is saying it will be curing any illness."
Sirius had only a split second to decide. Cassiopeia seemed to be fading fast. He swore and popped the top off the flask, then raised it to Cassiopeia's lips and poured the whole thing down her throat. Within seconds, color returned to her cheeks and she began to stir. "What happened?" she asked, smacking her lips. "I'm not sure," Sirius said quietly, staring at the empty flask. "Where did you get this, Mopsy?" "Mopsy is fetching the Elixir from Master Aries' secret laboratory," the house elf said dutifully. "Did Master Aries make this?" Cassiopeia asked. Her voice was quite strong, and Sirius thought she seemed a bit younger than she had before. She had fewer wrinkles, and her hair was slightly darker. "Yes, Miss Cassie," Mopsy said. "How?" Sirius demanded.
"Mopsy isn't supposed to be telling anyone, Master Sirius," the elf replied. "Master Aries has explicitly forbidden Mopsy from telling." "Well, I order you to tell me," Sirius said. Mopsy shook her head. "Mopsy is belonging to Master Aries," she said. "Mopsy is having to obey him first of all." "You blasted elf!" Sirius growled, but Clytemnestra placed her hand gently on his arm. "Just a moment, Sirius," she said, before rising from her chair and going over to where Mopsy stood. Clytemnestra crouched down beside her. "You're a very good elf, Mopsy, to keep your master's secrets so well," she said. "And Master Aries must be a very powerful wizard, to be able to brew such a medicine. Did Master Aries tell you the name of the medicine he brewed?" "Yes, Mistress," Mopsy said. "Did your Master forbid you to tell us the name of the medicine?" "No, Mistress." "What is it?" Clytemnestra asked with a smile. "Master Aries is calling it the Elixir of Life," the elf replied dutifully. "Thank you, Mopsy," her mistress said. "You're a good elf. You may go."
Mopsy bowed and vanished. "That explains it, Sirius," Cassiopeia said, her eyes gleaming. The wizard frowned in response. Clytemnestra shook her head. "I can't believe it. Aries brewed the Elixir of Life? But where would he get a Philosopher's Stone?" Sirius began to pace back and forth across the room. "Fact: for all his talent, Aries is not talented enough to create a Stone on his own." "Are you sure of that?" Clytemnestra asked. "Yes," Cassiopeia snapped. "To create a Philosopher's Stone requires decades of perseverance. There simply hasn't been enough time." "Furthermore, the practice of 'special magic' is generally considered to be incompatible with the creation of the Stone," Sirius pointed out. "You seem to know an awful lot about the Stone, Sirius," Clytemnestra observed.
Her nephew chuckled. "After my parents disowned me, I briefly contemplated making a Philosopher's Stone to resolve my money troubles. I gave it up when I realized how much work was involved, but not before I'd done a good bit of research on the subject." "Fact," Cassiopeia said. "The only known Stone was in the position of Nicolas Flamel." "Fact: the Flamels were both murdered by an unknown Dark wizard shortly after Aries's confrontation with Voldemort," Sirius added. "There's no way Aries could have obtained the Stone after they were murdered," Clytemnestra said. "He was in hospital for weeks, and then here for weeks after that." "Which means that he had to have obtained the Stone before his confrontation with Voldemort." Sirius lit up a cigarette. For once, the ladies didn't complain about him smoking in the house. "But if the Dark Lord was the one who killed the Flamels, as seems likely," Cassiopeia mused, "then he too must have had an interest in the Philosopher's Stone." "Of course," Sirius said. "If Voldemort's a disembodied spirit, he would do anything to obtain the Elixir of Life." "But if he wanted the Elixir of Life, why didn't he go to the Flamels directly?" Clytemnestra asked. "Why waste his time at Hogwarts?" "Voldemort wanted the Stone," Sirius thought aloud. "He was at Hogwarts. Aries somehow got the Stone. He was at Hogwarts. There's only one possible conclusion."
Cassiopeia nodded. "The Stone too was at Hogwarts. Dumbledore and Flamel were friends. Flamel must have suspected that someone would try to steal the Stone and given it to Dumbledore for protection." "Aries figured it out somehow," Sirius added. "I'll bet he had Draco's help. They stole the Stone." He snorted. "Probably thought of it as a brilliant prank." "But somehow the Dark Lord found out," Cassiopeia said. "And that's why he attacked Aries," Clytemnestra finished. Sirius sighed and sat down hard on the sofa. "I may have to confront him about this after all."