The Black Sheep

[Ares Kervis]

Aris was walking in an empty street, heading reluctantly back home. The crisp air, surrounded him as he gazed at the fiery colors of the setting sun, melting into moonlight. With his hands in his pockets, he was stroking with the fingers of his right hand, his newly bought wand. Not only newly bought but also recently used. He wasn't supposed to use it. Not until he was in Hogwarts. He couldn't resist. He was waiting for this too long. He would be in trouble though. He was under seventeen which meant that he had the trace on him. So very soon he would be getting an owl from the ministry, including a warning letter that he wouldn't like to be found by his parents. Probably, his parents already knew about his actions as they both worked in the ministry of magic. That would be the reason why Aris hadn't returned back home for hours. Just walking around the neighbourhood, buying some time. But it was useless. He couldn't avoid it anymore. He just hoped that his parents wouldn't be so furious. Maybe his excuses for using magic for his defence might be a good try. As he turned left, he was able to distinguish his family house at the end of the road. He cursed under his breath as he noticed that the perpetual opened windows, were emitting light, which meant that his parents were there, waiting for him. When he reached outside the front lawn, he hesitated outside the dooryard.

By observing the exterior, someone will get the impression of a cottage in the country-side.
The stark white color of the house was toned down by the rows of palm trees and shrubs in the front lawn. He kicked gently the dooryard, without bothering to use his hands still in his pockets and entered the front lawn. The silvery white-colored night flowers greet him with their pleasant odour, opening their silky petals, reflecting the moonlight. He reached for his keys in his left pocket as he climbed the stairs to the porch and used them to open the heavy front door. He entered in the cleanest room imaginable, in a spacious living room combined with a dinning room.

His eyes slowly adjusted to the dim lights of the room, realizing that a soft fire was glowing in the fireplace under the mantelpiece that was covered with tiny intricate glass models and ancient relics. A beautiful designed rug had covered the polished floor and the wall was covered with innumerable paintings and portraits of family's ancestors and sceneries. The fireplace was surrounded by a huge black leather couch and a rocking chair. He looked at his left and found a large dining table with several chairs around it, a small dark wooden closet, loaded with dishes and glasses behind it and several mirrors on the sides of the sort-of-separated room. Near the middle of the living room, three large, red sofas, were forming a U letter with a rather low table in front of them, with nothing but a large vase with three beautiful red roses sticking out. In front of the sofas, there was a rather big sculpture of a boy on a winged horse, pointing his sword to the skies, with two units on each side of it. The units had several different animal sculptures on them. Aris couldn't see really well from the distance between but he knew that the sculptures on the units were those of a unicorn, a hippogriff, a thestral and a dragon. At his right there was a huge, leather chair with a large black desk in front of it, with only a bottle of ink and a quill on it as well as a tidy pile of newspapers and magazines. Above the desk on the wall, there were several framed awards and certificates, owned by his parents. On the other side were located endless shelves, coating the walls, filled with books. Many of these books were obviously special editions or collection items, and some looked at least a decade or so older than him. Several lit candles were hung on the sides and their plates were covered with dried wax. The candles were all lit, and looking upwards, filling with warmth and light the room.

Apparently his parents weren't waiting him there. It was almost dinner time so they would be waiting patiently in the kitchen. If only he could sneak passed the kitchen without being noticed, go upstairs and lock himself in his room. That would be great. But as he entered the dark hall with only the kitchen's lights illuminating it, he shouted I'm back home..
He didn't received any response but he knew that both his parents were waiting him there. He entered inside the room, comfortable, like he didn't had done anything wrong.

The kitchen was the warmest room in the house, spiced with cinnamon. The floor was covered in white, big tiles. The right wall was was covered with dark brown cabinets with two double doors. Beneath the cabinets there was a long reflecting-clean counter, with one side of it filled with a box of spices along with a box of assorted celestial seasons tea and two boxes of assorted individual packs of oatmeal. To the right, below the cabinet doors was the sink, empty and dazzling clean. The sink was surrounded by a forlorn stove, which was using wood, to the left and a dish rack to the right. Finally to the left of the room was a table with a few chairs, one occupied by his father who was looking at him with a stern look. His mother was standing in front of the stove, waving her wand, with a couple of dishes floating above her, zooming in the cabinets. Then she turned to face him.

'Where were you've been Aris? I was growing worried. Why you didn't come straight back here?' she rushed to hug him, showering him with questions.
Aris remained emotionless and just patted mechanically his mother back.

'Nothing special. Just wanted some fresh air.' he explained coolly, looking at his outraged father who was going to explode at any moment.
He stood up suddenly and crossed his huge arms on his chest.

'While you were out for fresh air, we had to deal with people from the ministry for your bad behaviour. Why you cursed that muggle child? Your mother and I were in a very difficult situation for your stupidity. We risked our jobs to cover your back." his father shouted, demanding answers.
Aris managed to release himself from his mother hug and shrugged his shoulders.

'I have no freaking idea what you're talking about.' he replied, his icy blue eyes fixed on his father's enraged, grey ones. He hoped that the owl from the ministry hadn't yet arrived. But then he noticed a piece of parchment on the kitchen's table and he realised that he was too late.

'No freaking idea...' barked his father and grabbed from the table the parchment. He cleared his throat and continued, looking for the lines in the letter that he wanted to use.

'Then why we received this, stating that you used an antler growing jinx on a muggle from your school, when you are not even allowed to wave your wand?' he asked again passing to his son the piece of parchment.
Aris didn't even looked at the parchment now in his hands. He continued looking at his father without a hint of fear in his face. Rather than that he smirked. His mother remained silent, waiting for his response as well.

"I just wanted to test my wand. Is that bad? I'm a wizard and I can't understand why I have to hide." he explained looking once at his father's eyes, boiling now with anger and once at his mother's concerned blue eyes. He continued without letting them speak.
"If you just had let me and Damon go at Hogwarts from the very beginning and not to that stupid muggle school, nothing would have happened." he added, shifting the blame to his parents.

'It was both our decision for you and your brother to go at a muggle school while I and your mother we'll be responsible for your magical education.' his father explained, to defend his and his wife decision.

'Of course. Yours decision. You never asked me what I wanted. I never wanted to go to a school full of stupid muggles for classmates. It's so embarrassing.' he said rising his voice a bit. He squeezed in his palm the piece of parchment, trying to control himself.

His saw his father clenching his teeth, losing his temper but thankfully his mother soft but worried voice interfered.

'You shouldn't be speaking like that for muggles Aris. They are humans as well and you must accept them. They are living around us and we must treat them equally.' she tried to sound reasonable.

'See? That's the problem. They are all around. In Hogwarts they won't and I'll be free to do whatever I desire.' he said with a tiny spark in his cold eyes.

'Whatever you desire?' his father repeated sarcastically.
'You should know that there are rules in Hogwarts too that you must obey. You won't last long if you keep doing whatever you like. Keep that in mind.' he added and sat down on a chair.

'Aris, you should be happy now that we decided for you and your brother to go to Hogwarts. After all it was what you wanted. With what you've done today, you risked that opportunity. Don't do that again please.' his mother said worried and stroked his raven black hair gently.

Aris rolled his eyes.
'C'mon mom you are an obliviator! I bet that muggle won't remember a thing now. It's not a big deal. You just want to find something to blame me again.' he said but regretted it as his father gave him a glare. His mother though tried immediately to change the subject.

'Okay let's forget this. There will be no other time.' she said casting a somewhat questioning look at her son and a 'stop it' glance at her husband.
Aris just nodded, avoiding his father's look.
'Great! I'm going to prepare dinner. What would you like, honey?' she asked her son.
'I'm not really hungry. Prepare whatever you like. Ask perfect Damon. He will appreciate it better than me, cause I'm always the ungrateful one.' he left his ironic reply and rushed upstairs to his room. He opened the door and banged it behind him, hoping that they would leave him alone.

The first thing you would notice when you entered in Aris' room was that it was very disorganized. There was no order, you could say that everything had its place in the middle of chaos.

To begin with, the door's lock was broken. When you finally entered at the room, you could see on the left side of a wall, built in wardrobes. Their doors were opened with robes trying to make their way out of it. His desk was long and narrow, and it got many drawers. Above the desk there were a lot of things for example candles, a mini cactus (which was the only plant that Aris gotten to keep alive), many magazines, parchments, quills and telescopes lenses.
In theory, the desk should be a place to study and to do his homework, but Aris never did so because there was no space. On the other side of the wall there was a library full of books which he had since he was a child because he never wanted to throw them away. Books about magical creatures, charms, potions and dark arts. The last ones he was careful to hide them between more innocent-looking books. Also there was where he kept his notes from his parents' lessons about magic and all the rest staff that he didn't know where to put them.
Then there was his bed, metallic and black, nothing special. He used its dark bars to hang things such as hats, scarves, belts and on its foot there was Rigas', his owl in his cage.
Beside the bed there was a bedside table with potion phials, sneakoscopes, a blood-stained playing card, a revealer and some gobstones scattered on its surface.
Finally further down there was a small aquarium with a grindylow that was staring him behind the glass.
The walls were full of Quidditch posters, a Quidditch uniform of the Thundelarra Thunderers and a Slytherin flag, of the house he desired to be in. The last wall was a window with emerald curtains.

He made his way through the mess, shoving his broomstick underneath his metallic bed and tossing the rumpled parchment on the floor. He then collapsed on his bed, looking at the ceiling.
That was close he thought and placed his hands underneath his head.
His eyelids were getting heavy when a knock on his door, made them open widely.
'Come in...' he said rolling his eyes annoyed, still lying down on his bed.

 

[Damon Kervis]

Damon was in a park not far away from home. He was sitting on a bench while he was looking after his little sister Persa, who was playing with another muggle boy a bit further away, on the slide.
He smiled as his little sister waved at him and he waved back. He was delighted that she was enjoying herself. As a little witch, she had rare opportunities to enjoy herself as an ordinary child. Not without someone around her.
It was a week ago that she summoned out of a book a white horse, in front of her teacher and her classmates from the primary school. She was at the age that her magical powers were appearing and their parents suggested that she shouldn't be left alone alot. Damon agreed to take her to the park while his parents were taking care of an issue occured, regarding his twin brother Aris. Damon couldn't believe how irresponsible his brother could be at times. In addition, he couldn't believe why he hated muggles so much. Damon himself, had alot of muggle friends. However, he would have to say goodbye soon as he was going to attend in Hogwarts for his rest of his educational years. He didn't explained though. Except to his ex-girlfriend whom believed in the end that she was in a relationship with a nutcase.
Damon sighed and looked at his watch. His eyes widened as her realised that it was time for dinner.
He stood up and called over for his sister.

'Oi Persa. It's time to go back.' he shouted making sure that he voices overcomed the children's laughs.
His little sister raced towards him with the muggle boy and they almost knocked him down.
'Take it easy kids. Ready to go?' he asked Persa patting her head.
'Yeah big brother but promise that tommorow we will come again. I want to show Jeff that I can make a flower grow instantly from the ground.' she beamed.
Damon felt uncomfortable in front of little Jeff who looked like he was waiting a whole tree to pop in front of them at any minute.
Damon forced a frozen smile.
'Okay Persa we'll see about tommorow. It's up to mom and dad. We should go now.' he said and took her little soft hand in his palm.
'Bye Jeff. I think you mother is calling you too.' Damon said releaved as a woman was waving at the other side of the park.
'Oh ok. I better go. Bye Persa.' Jeff smiled at Persa and runaway back to his mother.
'Bye' she waved back at him with a giggle.
As the little muggle was leaving, Damon lifted his little sister and placed her on his shoulders. She embraced his head placing her little hands on his forehead.

'Wow Persa, what you were saying to Jeff? You know you are not supposed to talk about magical staff with your friends.' he said holding her little legs so she won't fall.
'I know but Jeff is the only one who believes me. It feels so nice talking to him about that.' she said and Damon could totally understand her. He was feeling like that his whole life. But he get used to it over time. He was lucky that had Aris and could talk with him about magic.
'Well try at least not to demonstrate all those staff you were talking to him' he grinned.
'You are right I won't. Mom told me that when I'll become old enough I will be able to use magic without being worried.' she said nodding her head.
'Mom is propably right.' he agreed as they were reaching close to their house.
Damon suddenly felt strange feeling. He could feel something echoing in his head and then he was filled with anger and frustration. He tried to shut those feelings out of his head. He realised that he just had a look in his brother's head.
He tried to act normal as he and his sister entered inside the kitchen from the backyard.
He let down his little sister who rushed inside first.

As soon as they stepped inside, the smell of roasted chicken with parmesan, garlic and herbs, tickled his nose.
'Mommy, mommy we are back.' she yelled and she hugged her mother tightly.
'Hello sweetheart. Did you had fun?' she asked her daughter and kissed her on her cheek.
'Yes, Jeff was there with his mother too.' she said and rushed then for her father's hug whom let her a smile over his daily prophet.
'Was she Damon a good girl?' asked their father with a wide smile as he tooked her on his knees, ignoring his paper on the table.
'The best.' Damon replied while he was taking a peak at the dinner, now with his stomach purring.
'Is the dinner ready? I'm starving!' Tilemachus, Damon's younger brother entered inside the kitchen and went right to his sister, pinching her cheeks.
'In 10 minutes it will be ready.' their mother murmured as she was trying to see if the dinner was ready.
'Ok, I'm going to wash my hands and I'll be back.' Damon stated, leaving the kitchen, going upstairs.

He went up the stairs quickly but when he was upstairs, he hesitated outside the doors bathroom and looked at the opposite direction, at his twin brother's room. He decided to pay him a visit, although he could sense that he might not be welcomed.
He knocked his door and waited for a reply for a couple of seconds. Then a 'come in' came out of the room and Damon pushed the door and got inside Aris' room.
As always it was so messy, you could hardly make your way in.
'Wow brother, you really need a tidying up spell casted on this mess.' recommended to his brother who was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling.
Damon went towards the small aquarium with the grindylow and knocked his index finger on the tank's glass. The grindylow stirred from the aquariums bottom and tried to bit Damon's finger.
'I learnt about your today's accomplishments brothers. Why you did that?' he asked him still with his back turned to his brother, looking at the grindylow which was pressing its tentacles on the tank's glass greedily.

 

[Ares Kervis]

Aris couldn't hide his dissatisfaction when his twin entered his room. A grimace formed on his face and he didn't bothered to hide it.
He had the unbearable urge to hex his brother when he made fan of his messy room. He didn't liked that at all and answered to him with a nasty look.
'Oh yeah of course. I should cast another spell and get into trouble again for doing what a wizard is supposed to do.' he commented on his brother's suggestion about using magical assistance for tidying up his room.
He didn't liked that his brother was investigating his space. He felt like a wolf who wanted to defend his turf from the intrudor. His eyes remained fixed at Damon who was bothering his grindylow now. He wished that the glass of the tank would disappear, for his brother to pay the price for messing around.
'I see. They told you. So what? Are you gonna give me a detention?' he said sarcastically still lying down on his bed.
'I don't think I have to explain myself. That muggle was looking for trouble. I can say I quite enjoyed it. He looked so good with those huge antlers.' he added with an enormous grin spreading on his face.
He didn't bothered to see his twin's expression. He was propably going to argue with his ideas about muggles.
Damon was mr Perfect, the muggle-lover, the guy that everyone liked. Everyone except him.
His heroic stance about muggles was getting into Aris nerves.
His brother tried several times in the past to convince him to hang around with his muggle friends.
Damon had even a muggle girlfriend that she dumped him when he confessed to her that he was a wizard.
Aris felt really vindicated when that happened. Muggles were always jealous of wizards. That's why they were afraid of them.
He reached for his wand in his pocket and pulled it out.
The african blackwood was feeling so right in his hand, dark as his hair.
'Isn't it great that we finally have one?' he murmured as he raised his wand, admiring it, aiming at his room ceiling.

 

[Damon Kervis]

Damon drew his attention away from the grindylow to his brother.
He realized that his wasn't quite welcomed by his brother but he ignored him.
'No they didn't. You have loosen your barrier.' he said tapping his index finger on his temple.
Damon narrowed his grey eyes, trying to infiltrate in his brother's head again.
For an instant, scattered images flashed in his mind.
A wand raising, antlers growing from Gregg Scott's head and two cold eyes flashing with delight.
He breathed with difficulty and then again he was in his brother's chaotic room.
He was stood up in the middle of the chaos and his brother lying on his bed.
'You cursed Gregg Scott?' he said raising an eyebrow.
He was one of his muggle friends back from school.
'Can you explain why you chose him? Did you had a particular reason or he was that unlucky to come across you?' he demanded answers.
He could feel frustration roaring in him. He wouldn't let his brother treat his friends like that.
Damon moved his head in disapproval.
'I wouldn't say that I feel great that you have one.' he said pointing at his wand, now in his hand.
'Just the first day with a wand and you already used it unwisely. I can't even imagine what you are going to do next.' he said and tried to get again in his brother's head. He knew that his brother was probably thinking what he was going to do with the power he was recently granted.

 

[Ares Kervis]

Aris felt a strange sensation. Like something was crawling inside his head, searching for something.
He closed his eyes tightly.
He tried to create an imaginary wall between his memories and his brother's force.
He reopened his eyes to see that he had managed to block further investigation from his brother's curiosity.
'Don't do that again.' he barked and stood up.
He was as tall as his brother. He clenched his wand in his right hand but he managed to hold himself.
He bit his upper lip, trying to calm down. His brother however, had managed to steal enough information.
'Oh that was his name?' he said ironically.
'Whatever. He was stupid enough to taunt me. I was not going to be bothered with an idiot like him.' he said and went towards his closet. He tried to close its doors, forcing the overflowing robes in the inside of the closet.
'His girlfriend just said a hello to me, like I cared, and that idiot got pissed off.' he said and rubbed his hands.
'I was just gaving him a point with those antlers. His girlfriend wasn't looking that faithful to me.' he said and smirked.
He laughed then and punched lightly his brother on his chest.
'Don't worry bro. I wouldn't curse you with an antler jinx. Remember? Your girlfriend dumped you. So there is no point doing that.' he grinned, knowing that he hit a weak spot there.
'Don't worry. I won't mess around that much from now on. Not until I'm in Hogwarts.' he said and went towards the window, setting aside the velvet emerald curtains.
'Then I'll be truly free.' he said to his washy reflection on the window's glass.
He realised that his brother was attempting another invasion but this time he was prepared.
He blocked him completely.
Aris lost his temper and in a split of second, the tip of his wand, was pressing against Damon's neck.
He took deep breaths to regain control, with his chest going up and down wildly.
'I told you I had enough of this.' he bellowed with a shaking hand.

 

[Damon Kervis]

His concentration was broken when he felt a tense pressure on his neck.
He took him a few moments to realize that his brother was aiming his wand on him.
Damon remained completely still like his brother never had stood up and was still lying on his bed.
'I'm sorry, you are right. I shouldn't do this but your mind was like tempting me to have a look.' he apologized, realizing that he had overdo it.
He preferred to ignored the wry comments about his splitting up with his ex-girlfriend.
He didn't want to lose control like his brother. It was a very sensitive topic for him.
'You should have ignored him completely. You didn't earned anything with what you did.' he pointed out.
Damon took off his wand also from his pocket, carved with vines.
'I can understand you. I feel also that urge to use it, to be creative with it. But we'll have to wait. Rules are always for some reason, so be patient.' he tried to sound reasonable and relax his brother a bit.
'Hey, I was wondering if you would like to go for school shopping together. It's two weeks until we leave for Hogwarts, so we have to hurry up and not forget anything.' he suggested, finding it a great opportunity to pass some time with his brother.​

 

[Ares Kervis]

Aris lowered his wand. He spotted repentance in his brother's voice and eyes and accepted the apology.
He sut down on his bed and observed his brother's wand which was light colored compared to his.
'I'll have to invite you in a duel brother when we'll go to Hogwarts. I bet 10 galleons that you'll be the loser.' he said and gave him a challenging smile.
'Sorry Damon. Seems that I'm more excited than you. I've already bought everything I need for Hogwarts.' he turned down his brother's suggestion.
'Your muggle friends are quite useless now, aren't they? Can't go, shopping cauldrons with them...' he said with a smirk.
He liked the fact that he could deminish easily his brother's muggle friends.
'Furthermore, I don't think you would enjoy shopping with me.' he added.
'Good boys like you are shopping in Obsidian harbour, Makutu Mall or Brightstone's shops.' he enumerated them like he was stating something really lame. He even pretended a fake yawn.
'It's so pathetic that we don't have wizard friends. I hope I'll met some interesting Slytherins when we get there.' he said quite excited.
'You haven't mentioned yet. Where would you like to be sorted brother?' he asked Damon, although he quite knew what the answer would be.

 

[Damon Kervis]

Damon knew that his brother wouldn't risk again by using magic and attacking him.
So he was expecting him to retreat. Damon relaxed a bit and laughed with Aris challenge.
'Ah brother. I think you're gonna lose the bet cause I'm going to kick your butt.' he joked and sat down on the floor, leaning his back on the huge tank's glass. He could imagine the grindylow leering at him and stacking its tentacles again on the glass behind him.
The tank was cool and was offering to Damon a refreshing sensation in the warmth of Aris room.
He extended his arms on his bent knees, playing with his wand between his hands.
'You haven't tasted my conjunctivitis curse brother. That's why you feel so comfortable and cocky there.' he smiled.
He liked that he was hanging around with his brother and they were making fun. That was a rare event.
Not because of him. Aris was avoiding him most of the time because of his muggle friends.
And of course because their parents were pressuring Aris to behave like Damon. The last one was widening mostly the gap between them.

He didn't felt disappointment when his brother informed him that had already done his shopping. He expected something like that or just reject his suggestion.
'That's true. They won't have an opinion about robes either but I'm not the antisocial here who doesn't have friends at all. At least when I want to buy something non magical, I'll be having some company with me.' he defended himself.
'What do you mean? Don't tell me you now fancy muggle's stores?' he said sarcastically, as he couldn't understand what Aris meant by that.
'Oh really? And tell me, where the cool guys like you are going for shopping then?' he continued with the sarcasm, this time though it was more intense.
He was sharing the same thoughts with his brother. Damon always would like another wizard or a witch to hang around but he never had complained about that. He was going to say something such as that he would also like that but his brother's comment about considering to have only Slytherin friends, made him roll his eyes.
'Here we go again. Slytherin, slytherin, slytherin...' he said, looking around at the slytherin banners, decorating Aris room's walls.
'I really don't care Aris. I mean what's the difference? You still gonna study the same staff and enjoy the same things. Houses are just created to bring out of you your very best. So wherever I'll be sorted I guess it will be for the best of me. Of what I am.' he said and paused to make sure that his brother was actually listening.
'Whether I'll be in Slytherin or Hufflepuff doesn't matter.' he concluded.
He remained silent wondering why his brother was so persistent on being sorted in slytherin. The truth was from what their father had mentioned that slytherin usually was the home of people that later were getting corrupted, blinded from their own greed.
Judging from his brother. Damon was quite sure that their father was quite right. Aris was always impressed by power. He didn't cared about moral staff, about good or evil.
'Let's change this subject. I really don't like it. Let's talk about Quidditch. Are you gonna join the Quidditch team?' he asked.
Damon really liked talking about Quidditch and he knew that his brother liked it as well.​

 

[Ares Kervis]

'Conjuctivitis curse?' That's essential for kids. Do you really thing you can beat me by using only old school hexes?' he asked him.
He felt that he was coming closer to his brother after along time. But then his smile froze on his face as Damon mentioned the fact that he didn't had any friends.
'I'm not antisocial. They just don't deserve my attention.' he replied obviously irritated from his brother's comment.
It was true that he hardly ever had any friends up to that point but he wouldn't like to hang around with muggles.
So he didn't have any other choice.
'Me? In muggle shops? Not even under the imperius curse.' he said disgusted.
'Bleak street of course. Though it wouldn't surprise me if you haven't even heard of it before.'
He knew that his brother was aware of the bleak street. He just wanted to see his reaction.
'That place is full of interesting staff. It's amazing what you can find there.' he said and slowly pulled from under his pillow a thick, black, leather book with a huge title made from silver, embossed letters. The title was The first steps into Dark Arts.
Aris stroked affectionately the cover of the book, looking forward to start reading it.
'Maybe if you have a look in it you might get lucky and beat me.' he said and opened the book in a random page.
Then he noisily closed it and smirked with his brother's reaction about slytherin.
'Here we go again. Trying to pretend the hero and the noble.' he said rolling his eyes.
'You know what's the difference between me and you? I know what I seek and I'm not content with mediocre staff. I want always the best for me. I know that in slytherin I'll have more chances to become who I want to be.' he said with a serious look.
'I'll better have to take the train back home if I won't be sorted in Slytherin. There is no point staying. I don't want to be someone ordinary. I'm dreaming of great things.' he stated with an absolute tone in hise voice.
'If you want to become another bloody auror or a bored to death shopkeeper then go to hufflepuff, ravenclaw or gryffindor.' he finished.
With the word Quidditch, Aris' mood completely changed. His face was illuminated with a broad smile. Even his body language was modified to discuss about something really pleasant.
'Hell, yeah. It would be awesome to participate. I can't wait to kick the ground and soar on my broom.' he said and his mind focused under his bed, where his broom was resting.
'I hope you'll be in a different house than me. Cause I want to play a match against you.' he said and competitiveness was pounding in his veins in his veins.

 

[Damon Kervis]

'Don't underestimate me. A good duelist never does that with his opponent. Magic is more than hurtful curses. Magic is creativity. Like using a summoning charm to win a duel.' he said but he wasn't expecting Aris to get the in depth meaning of what he just said.
He preferred not to say anything about the fact that Aris was antisocial because of his dislike about muggles.
He wouldn't change his mind anyway. But when he talked about visiting bleak street, Damon gasped.
'What? Are you nuts? If dad is gonna find out you're done.' he said seriously and his eyes widened.
He gave a laugh but not because he was finding something funny or entertaining but because he couldn't believe that his brother did something like that.
'Interesting? What about dangerous?' he asked ironically. And then Aris did something that Damon wasn't expecting.
He had bought a dark arts book. He was looking at it with such an affection, whereas Damon had an expression in his face like he was stroke by a lightning.
He didn't know what to do. Pounce on him and took away his book by force or use a severing charm and destroy it once and for all.
'No brother. I don't need the assistance of dark magic to become someone.' he said and his voice echoed like ice smashing on the floor.
Damon was wondering if he should tell everything to their parents but that it wasn't like him.
On the other hand though, he had a very bad feeling about his brother.
'I'm not acting heroic here. Just logical.' he countered back.
He moved his head in disapproval.
'No. You are wrong. The difference is not that. We both want to become something great. The difference is that you are always eager to follow the easy way, when I prefer to choose the longer one and the most achieving." he explained, knowing that he managed to make a good point.
He knew he was right but now he was feeling quite depressed. His brother was intrigued by power but he hadn't realized that he was going to do anything to get it.
He decided silently to let him do his choices. Any argues with Aris were usually worthless.
Even the conversation about Quidditch wasn't enough to make Damon cheer up.
'I don't know if I would like the position of a chaser like you. Keeper is quite decent but I like the seeker's one better.' he concluded.
He took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling, full of mixed feelings.
'Are you gonna come for the last time tomorrow at school?' he asked him while he was tapping rhythmically his foot on the floor.
​

 

[Ares Kervis]

'Well we'll see in practice what is true.' he decided to end the dueling conversation as his brother's opinion was getting on Aris' nerves.
He started browsing the book while his brother begun preaching. Aris imitated his brother, talking, while he was moving his head ironically.
'Stop the drama. I'm interested on learning those staff. That doesn't mean that I'm gonna use them.' he said and his voice tone became a bit harsh.
'Or maybe I will.' he said a couple of seconds later with a smirk.
He ignored anything else that Damon was saying about morals as his attention was caught by a curse about internal injuries.
He stroked his chin as he started reading absorbed. He even missed what his brother said about Quidditch.
But when the word 'school' left from Damon's mouth, he was finally pulled out of the book's pages.
'You are kidding me right? No way I'm going back there for even a whole minute. Don't tell me that you are even thinking of it?" he asked him surprised.
Aris was getting sick of this conversation.
'Nevermind brother. I'm tired of arguing with you.' he said dismissing the conversation.
'Let's do something more interesting, let's have some fun.' he said with a bright smile.
'Let's sneak out for some flying...' he added and his smile transformed into a mischievous expression.

 

[Damon Kervis]

Damon noticed that Aris was not paying attention anymore. He was lost in the pages of his book. No doubt he was reading about something that he was really interested.
'Whatever. In case you change your mind I'll go tomorrow. I want to say goodbye to friends and teachers.' he said dominated with mix feelings of depression that he won't see them for a long time and happiness that a new chapter in his life would begin.
'I had to lie that I'm going to attend at a school in Adelaide.' he smiled.
'I hope you don't mind. I said the same thing for you.' he said hoping that this wouldn't bother Aris.
Aris' idea about going for flying was not that bad but the word 'sneak out' echoed alarmingly in Damon's head.
But Damon needed some action and flying was the best way to get some.
'Great idea brother. But we won't sneak out exactly. We'll find something to tell to mom and dad.' he said and stood up, putting his wand back in his pocket.
'You don't need additional trouble.' he said and patted him on his shoulder.
'Agreed?' he asked Aris and extended his hand to help his brother to stand up.​

 

[Ares Kervis]

Aris couldn't figure out what excuse Damon was going to come up with to tell to their parents. Their father was quite angry so he propably wouldn't be exactly positive. But Damon was looking confident like he already had a plan in his mind. Aris couldn't hide the broad smile, shaping on his face.
'Ok deal but if something goes wrong you'll take all the responsibility.' he joked and he was already reaching for his broom underneath his bed. After a few moments, a Scarlet Falcon was in his hands. His fingers brushed the polished scarlet handle made from the finest oak wood, finished to a deep, rich shade of Mahogany.
'One more thing' he murmured and stood up to reach for a pair of googles, placed on a pile of dusty books on his desk.
He shoved them in his jeans' pocket and and leaned his broom on his shoulder.
'I'm ready. Let's go and get your wreck.' he said sarcastically, meaning his brother's broom.

 

[Damon Kervis]

Damon laughed with his brother's comment about his broom.
'I wanna hear that again when you'll be the loser.' he joked back as he reached for the room's door.
'Follow me.' he said, leaving the door opened for his brother to follow him in the second floor's corridor.
Damon's room was at the opposite direcection from Aris, quite excluded from the other rooms on that floor, next to the stairs leading to the attic.
The door of his room had on it a carved winged-horse with its wings wide open, slightly upwards, like it was going to embrace whomever was going to enter the room. It also had on it a carved medallion on its thick, muschly neck,e sun on it.
Damon stopped in front of the door, silent, with his right hand stroking the carved, wooden forehead of the horse, gently.
Then thewooden sun medallion fell down out of the door, on the floor with a sort noise, reavealing a small hole on the door, behind it, where a key was located.
He took the key out of the hole and immidiately the medallion, lying on the floor, zoomed back to its place, to cover the empty now hole on the door.
'Just in case you ever have the brilliant idea to break into my room. It recognises only my touch.' he informed Aris as he was unlocking the door. As soon as the room's door opened, the key dissolved into a silver dust that rapidly vanished into thin air.
'Its just returned to its place.' he explained as they were entering into his room.

By doing so, someone would feel that was entering into a world of blue. It was along with red, Damon's favourite color.
As he inhaled, he could smell the toasty warmth of newly-dried sheets.
There was a large aluminum alloy French window in this bedroom. During daytime the sun was touching every single corner of his room as it was facing to the east. Blue curtains and blue tassels were flapping at the open window as a warm soft wind was blow into his room. A white winged-horse wind-chime was hanging on the middle of the window. The sound of the wind-chime was so soothing that someone would think that it was magical enchanted to make you forget your worries.
The ceiling of the room was encanted and was looking like the dark blue night sky. Plenty of stars were shimmering above them with some elliptical and spiral galaxies scattered along. As looking lower to the walls, the night sky was meeting the sea. The lower section of the walls was painted like the waves, gently lapping against the floor, which had a sandy color, resembling the shore. While getting more inside the room, you could hear the sound of the waves, dashing against the rocks.
Damon was spending load of time, relaxing, by closing his eyes and image that he was strolling in a deserted beach.
The darkness of the room was only illuminated by a crescent moon, moving slowly on the left wall and from a white candle, placed inside in a half coconut, placed on a small night table.
There was not much furniture or decorations in his bedroom.
The reason was that Damon wanted to keep his bedroom natural, offering a closer feel to nature.
His bed was sitting next to a wall in the center of the room. It was a twin extra long bed as Damon was quite tall, with blue cotton sheets. His writing table was really tidy with only three books forming a short pile and a pair of leather strips gauntlets, that seemed to cover the whole arm when they were used. An alive family photo was standing also on the table, all of them smiling except Aris who was looking grumpy.
There were no other furnitures except from his medium size wardrobe, a chair and a wooden chest with drawers.
There Damon was keeping safe all his magical things and staff.

Damon extended his arms to reach his broom blindly, placed above the wardrobe.
'And I thought I was tall enough for that.' he sarcasted himself while he was trying.​

 

[Ares Kervis]

Aris followed his brother, smirking as he was coming with a couple of ways to make Daamon's life miserable on his broom.
But soon his smirk vanished from his face when he saw what his brother has done to his room's door.
He almost dropped his broom out of his shoulder when that sun medallion on the winged horse's neck, carved on the wooden door, popped out, revealing a secret hole behind it.
He remained looking like a little child while his brother grabbed the revealed key and unlocked the door.
He raised both his eyesbrows when the key turned into silver dust and completely disappeared.
He was going to ask what happened but Damon was quick enough to answer first. Aris was going to get mad for a minute as he thought that his brother sneaked again into his mind but then he realised that it was pretty obvious that anyone would ask that question anyway.

As they were entering Damon's room, Aris eyes were fixed at the medallion on the door, now concealing the hole behind it.
But then, when he turned his attention in the interior of the room, he gasped.
For a few moments, he thought that both of them touched a portkey or in some way apparated, in a beach far away from home.
He realised then that they were still in Damon's room. It was so different from the last time that he got into it.
It was like they were standing under the night sky in a sandy beach. He could even listen to the waves crashing on the shore.
He could see the moon climbing higher on one of the walls as the night was moving on and the stars above them shinning so beautifully.
'How you managed to do that?' he managed to speak, awestrucked as he was.
He felt weird. Like he suddenly had the urge to lie down on that bed and relax.
Why not, even sleep. He realised that that wind-chime was not as innocent as it was looking.
But before he was going to ask about it, he attention was caught by a pair of leather strips gauntlets, placed on a small pile of books.
His eyes widened. He felt that that object was not something ordinary. He came closer, left his broom on the floor and got them in his hands.
The leather was really soft and they seemed weightless.
When he figured out that they were covering the entire arms when they were worn, his brother talked.
He left the gauntlets on the pile and returned to his brother.
'Do you need any help with that?' he offered some assistance as he was lifting his broom back on his shoulder.

 

[Damon Kervis]

Damon tried to hide the small smile shaping on his face as his brother was looking more and more surprised.
'Well if you had saved some time from cursing muggles, you would have some help from dad.' he said as he finally grabbed his phantom seeker.
'Alright. Now leave it to me.' he smiled as they got out of his room, closing the door that locked immediately.
They went downstairs and they stopped at the kitchen.
It seemed that the dinner was served.
'Hey mom. Me and Aris we'll go out.' he said at their mother, trying to hide his guilt.
He hated the fact that he had to lie and leave especially during dinner when all the family was gathered.
'Where are you going? You're not gonna sit with us?' she asked both of them looking concerned.
'Dinner can wait mom. Aris owns an apology to our muggle classmate.' he said quite convincing.
He preferred to avoid eye contact with their father. He could understand if someone was lying to him or not.
Damon gave a side look at his brother, waiting for him to say something, to support him, to sound more convincing.

 

[Ares Kervis]

Ares raised an eyebrow when his brother made that sarcastic comment about saving some time from cursing muggles.
He didn't comment anything about it. He just casted an indifferent look at his brother broom.
He followed Damon downstairs, where they stopped at the kitchen.
He panicked when his brother stated that they were going out and automatically was going to make an attempt and hide his broom behind him.
But as Damon didn't so he just tightened his grip around the broomstick, afraid that their father would figure out their lie.
When he heard his brother's excuse for going out, he almost turned at him, ready to argue.
However, as soon as he opened his mouth, he closed it right away.
Then suddenly his brother voice echoed in his head.

Support me...say something...quickly
Ares turned to receive his brother's side look and then faced their parents.

'Yeah, I though of it. I guess I have to apology.' he tried to keep a straight face although he wasn't in favour of what had just slipped off his mouth.

You forgot the broomsticks moron he tried to get this thought in his brothers head.
They had to explain why the had broomsticks with them.

 

[Damon Kervis]

Damon had forgotten completely about their broomsticks.
Thankfully his brother reminded him.
'Oh um... we'll fly there. We'll be careful. Promise. Is dark anyway so we won't have any problem.' he said quickly before anyone else was going to ask about it.
A nod from their father and a stay out of trouble from their mother was enough to dismiss them.
Without any hesitation, Damon headed to the front yard of the house.
He mounted on his broom and held it tightly, impatient like a little child.
'C'mon, are you ready? Or you're just realizing that you don't stand a chance?' he taunted his brother with a mischievous smile.

 

[Ares Kervis]

Ares was really relieved that he didn't had to say anything else.
After his brother explanation they were allowed to live without any further questions.
He hadn't even got out of the house and he was already on his broom.
He shot up into the air, passing next to his brother still on the ground, at high speed.
He abruptly stopped and hovered a few feet over the ground.
'You are all talk. Let's see what you have in practice.' he commented and without wasting anymore time he flew up higher.

 

[Damon Kervis]

He didn't managed to finish his sentence when he felt his brother soaring into the skies, forcefully like a rocket.
Damon just grinned. He liked competition.
He pushed off the ground and he immediately felt something strong awakening inside him.
A sensation that he could hardly explain.
It only occurred when he was in the air. He leaned foreword and pushed the broom to its limits.
The cool air kissed violently his cheeks as he was increasing speed. He could hardly see his brother leading in front of him as the background of the houses' shades and the lit windows, became an undefined image.
He leaned into his broomstick and gained more speed, overtaking his brother, leaving him behind.
After a few moments, as he was keeping a steady speed, he carefully released his grip off the handle of the broom and slowly raised them in the air.
He closed his eyes letting only his sense of hearing capture the pounding of the wind on his clothes and skin.
He shuddered but not because of the cool breeze. It was the awe of that moment that was dominating him.