Albus Potter and the Curse of the Deceiver

Aaron J. R

—CHAPTER 2— 

Aaron J. R.

‘Welcome! Welcome back to Hogwarts! And I’m very, very glad to be back as well!’

Albus smiled as Hermione stood at the podium. It was good to have her back. Her not being the Head of Hogwarts had caused some havoc and quite a bit of chaos. Well—actually, there was havoc and chaos at Hogwarts before she’d left but Albus was quite certain it would diminish when she took control of the reins of the horse again. 

‘Now, as a reminder to first years,’ Hermione said. ‘The Forbidden Forest is out of bounds for all students unless it is part of training and in that respect, any DA member must have at least a fifth year go with them into the forest. Another warning must be announced that was thankfully brought to our attention by students last year. Around the school, you’ll find posters of our old Potions teacher, Timothy Lockwood. If you have any information on this man, or if you have seen him during the summer, please inform us immediately. He is highly dangerous and out for revenge on a certain group of students.’

In his seat, Albus squirmed and met Rose, Scorpius and Jessica’s uneasy looks. Avery looked uncomfortable too and Dimitri looked down at his plate, staring at it hard. 

‘On a brighter note,’ Hermione said, changing subject. ‘Quidditch trials will be held next Monday for first years, Tuesday for second years and so forth. Meanwhile, third years, you will be given a week to choose your third extra subject. Something we specifically left out of the letter this year. There are five new subjects to choose from which are Modern and Ancient Runes and Codes which we call Marc, then there’s the Art of an Anigmagus which is AAA for short. As well as those two, there’s Advanced Potions and Advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts. Last but not least, there’s...’ She stopped and swallowed. ‘There’s History on the Dark Arts which has a limited space of 21 students, therefore three students per year group will be accepted. Please choose wisely and make sure you purchase your books from the side store of Flourish and Blott’s in Hogsmade. Now, please, dig in!’

Around him, food appeared on the dining table which all his friends immediately dived to get, but Albus hesitated. History of Dark Arts. Limited spaces, huh? He got to his feet. From his plate, overflowing with food, Dimitri looked up. ‘Where ya going, Al?’ he asked. 

‘Bathroom,’ Albus lied, climbing over the bench and walking towards the door. He looked back at his friends and nearly fainted. Jessica was looking straight at him, her eyes bright red. He blinked, rubbed his eyes, pinched himself and then looked again. She was still looking at him but gave him a smile, her bright blue eyes shining in the light. Albus shook his head. Jeesh, maybe he needed to get his contacts checked. Maybe his glasses were more reliable. He walked briskly through the hallways...since he owned the Marauder’s Map, he knew Hogwarts off the back of his hand. He found the spare classroom numbered 737. It now had a sign saying ‘History of the Dark Arts.’ Albus looked around cautiously, keeping his eyes open for Filch. (Not the original Argus Filch, Filch I’s son.) Albus then pushed the door open, creeping into the classroom. Who was the teacher? He looked around the classroom and counted the desks. 21 exactly. He tiptoed over to the desk and found a clipboard. Sign ups for the class, was the title. He found a quill lying over a piece of parchment and dipped it in ink, carefully writing Albus S. Potter on the first line of the clipboard. Grinning, he put the quill down again and turned to leave but his eyes caught the teacher’s office. ‘Oh...damn the rules,’ he swore, hurrying to the door. ‘Alohamora!’ The door opened with a click and he stepped inside. Who was the teacher? He saw several trunks and suitcases and tried to find a name. There was nothing. He hurried over to the desk, looking for a name. He found one at the top of a Hogwarts letter which Albus recognised as a teacher’s letter...Harry got one every year. The name was Aaron J. R. 

‘Mr. R,’ Albus said aloud. ‘What does R stand for?’

‘Albus?’ 

Albus jumped about a foot in the air, giving a startled yell. He whirled around a breathed out in relief when he saw Jessica standing before him. 

‘Jess. Whew, you scared the living daylight outta me!’

‘What are you doing here?’ Jessica demanded. ‘You shouldn’t be sneaking around! You could get caught! After all the trouble we’re in after the past two years, imagine if you got caught in a teacher’s office!’

‘What would R stand for in Aaron J. R?’ Albus asked, ignoring her scolding. 

‘Eh?’

‘What would R stand for in Aaron J. R?’

Jessica stared at him, then grabbed him by the arm, dragging him out of the office back to the Great Hall. 

*

‘You were doing what?’ 

Rose sounded horrified but Scorpius, Dimitri and Avery (who every year snuck over to the Gryffindor table for the feast) were more interested in Aaron J. R than any kind of trouble Albus might be in. But Jessica was flicking through a book called Unknown Facts About Famous Wizards, By Kingsley Shacklebolt. 

‘Why are you looking through that?’ Avery asked, ducking his head as Teddy walked past. 

‘Just seeing if my hunch is true,’ Jessica said cryptically, stopping at a page.  ‘Ah.’

Albus looked over her shoulder, his jaw dropping when he read through the paragraph and his face turning deadly pale. ‘Holy shit,’ he whispered hoarsely. 

‘Potter,’ Professor Lipton scolded as he walked by. ‘Language.’

‘What?’ Scorpius asked eagerly. In a low whisper, Albus read out the paragraph. ‘Not many things are known on the darkest wizard of all times, Lord Voldemort, but if you looked in the right place, from an old woman named Clarice Tinnson, you’ll find out some things that will come as a shock to you. Recently, a young lady named Jessica Longbottom was revealed as Voldemort’s great-niece. When Voldemort, originally Tom Riddle, was born, he was one of a twin. This twin named Matthew died, not long after marrying and having a son named Aaron Jesse Riddle. Aaron Jesse Riddle is said to be the father of Jessica but has not been seen for nearly ten years. Jessica’s mother and Aaron’s wife, Lorine, is supposedly dead.’

‘Aaron J. R!’ Scorpius said excitedly. ‘Ooh, Jess, our History on Dark Arts teacher is your father!’

Albus turned to Jessica. ‘Your mum’s dead?’

Jessica shrugged. ‘I dunno. Probably.’

There was a silence between the six of them. 

‘Which one is he?’ Rose asked finally, looking up at the teacher’s table. Jessica furrowed her eyebrows. ‘None. He’s not there.’ There was a flash of red in her eyes and Albus blinked again. Jesus, he needed his glasses again. ‘Well, Jess, you okay?’ he asked. 

‘I am fine,’ Jessica said, sounding not really like herself. ‘I am just tired. I will just have some food and I will be better.’

Everyone looked at her in worry. 

‘Jessica,’ Scorpius said. ‘Have you forgotten where apostrophes go in the modern language?’

Suddenly, Jessica’s body went limp and she collapsed onto the cold, hard, stone floor.