HP: Harry From The Ancient House Of Black [ Chapter 67 ]

He watched helplessly as the explosion ripped through the room. His body hit the table hard and he felt his ribs crack as he landed on the floor. Aries looked up slowly, blood pouring down his mother's pale face.

Panic set in as he saw a bone sticking out of his chest. Power swirled around him, far from his control. Glass shattered sending dangerous shards flying through the air. The breathing exercises were far from his mind, the raging torrent that he always held back came rushing forth, always out of reach. Waves of energy pushed out of him as he closed his eyes, screaming for it to end.

"Aries." His mother's calm voice came to him. "Aries, it's alright."

Darkness rushed forth from deep inside himself, lashing out at his mind, wrestling for control. Aries fought against it, and power pulsed through the room. He could hear the breaking of tables, shattering of vials, and cracking of stones. He felt his mother's soft hand cupping his face.

"Aries look at me." He opened his eyes slowly, focusing on the warm blue eyes of his mother. "Everything is going to be okay." His magic continued to rip into the room and shattered everything within its grasp. "Just breathe Aries. It's your magic, it will do what you want. Think of the void. Let it consume everything. And take control."

Aries imagined the void in his mind and pushed everything into it with all his might. Emotion, desire, needs, wants, and his magic.

The wind began to die down and the cracking of lightning faded. At last, it was under his control and turned to his mother. She was kneeling before him, covered in her own blood which had already pooled underneath her.

Shards of glass were embedded in her chest and a long, thick sliver of wood ripped through her stomach.

The remains of her potion seemed to be eating away at the skin on her arms and her beautiful blonde hair was falling out. What was left of her skin began to pale. Tears started to fall from Aries' eyes, but his mother cupped his face with blood-stained hands.

"Listen to me, Aries." Her voice was soft and fading. "You have to be strong now. You can't be weak."

"I don't know how mummy."

"Then find out. Make yourself strong."

The memory broke something inside Aries and rage filled him. Suddenly power flooded into his body and the Dementors flinched.

"Be strong Aries Orion Black. Be strong for me."

The torrent of magic was pounding against him, demanding to be unleashed. Fire erupted around him, berating the flame impervious hedges and catching the cloaks of the Dementors aflame. New memories flooded forth from deep within his mind.

His mother's arm wrapped around him as magic came back to him, making the objects of the room float as Cassiopeia watched on.

His wand was back in his hand, a glowing white light pulsating at its end. The heat of the fire rose, burning at last through the edges and a cyclone of fire began to form around the Dementors.

His mother's warm smile as he brewed his first potion.

The Dementors began to pull back, his power pushing out from him, but they were trapped by the rising magical flames. They berated the flames but it did not yield and they could not pass.

"No matter what happens Aries, you will always be my son."

He remembered his mother and warmness filled his heart that he had not felt in years.

"Be strong."

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" A white fox appeared before him and from it pulsed waves of power, pushing back against the Dementors. They were trapped between the magical flame and the pulses of the Patronus Charm.

A high and cold sickly scream emerged from one before the others followed until they burst into black flame leaving nothing but black dust behind. Aries knelt in the center of a charred circle, surrounded by his pain and triumph.

He breathed heavily, forcing the magic into his control, but focusing on his mother and her memory.

She had been pushed back deep into the recesses of his mind so that he would not have to remember the pain of her death, but now it had brought something new.

Aries felt stronger and the power that so often seemed out of his control was now in his grasp, ready to be unleashed.

A scream caught his attention and he recognized it as Fleur's. Aries wasted no time with the maze, unleashing a torrent of powerful flame, burning a path through the flame impervious hedges towards his bonded companion. It did not take long to find her, but she was not alone.

Potter was standing before her, wand pointed at Diggory. They appeared at stand-off but Diggory turned away and faced him instead.

Aries only had a moment and noticed the glazed over eyes of Diggory just as he sent a Killing Curse towards him. Potter screamed and Aries dodged it, rolling to his left towards Fleur.

"Pugare mentis!" The spell's effect was immediate and Diggory fell to his knees clutching his head. Aries disarmed him quickly and ran towards him, reaching out with his mind before Diggory could react.

He walked through the hedges, trying to stop his clothes from smoldering when a haze suddenly came over him.

"Kill Delacour and distract Black. Allow Potter to get to the cup first."

"What are you doing?" Potter's voice brought him back to the present and Aries was suddenly far more concerned about the boy than he had been at the beginning of the task.

"Someone Imperioused him," Aries replied as he helped Diggory to his feet. He made his way over to Fleur who was unconscious but hurt badly. "She needs Madam Pomfrey."

"I'll send the signal." Potter lifted his wand and sent red sparks into the air. Aries waved his wand slowly over Fleur, healing what wounds he could. "So, what now?" Diggory was still shaking his head, trying to clear it from the haze.