~* Ecdysis: Part Six ~ *

Rhad sat nestled against the twisted roots of the forest, three books sprawled and precariously balanced on his knees. Hades, with Cerberus curled up with all three heads on one thigh and Mosag tucked under the other, had a herbology textbook before him but his eyes gazed sightlessly at it, idly scratching Cerberus behind one ear. Cassandra didn't bother with the pretense; she laid on her back, sticks burrowing in her hair, her eyes closed.

"Exams are tomorrow, if I don't know it now, I won't ever," she huffed when Rhad pointed it out. Hades conceded she had a point even as he dragged his books along.

The summer's heat pressed sleepily around them, reminding Hades of the dormitory. His eyes began to close of their own accord, lulled by the steady breathing of the pup and the steady turning of the pages in Rhad's books.

"What are we going to do with them?"

Hades grunted at Cassandra's unexpected question. He shifted but didn't open his eyes. If she wanted an answer she would have to be more specific. Sure enough, when the silence stretched on long enough, he felt something whack against his foot.

"Hades."

"What?" Hades snapped, annoyed, but still not opening his eyes.

"What are we going to do with them?"

"With who?" Hades demanded, pulling his feet out of reach of the irksome witch. Cerberus grumbled a little, all three of his heads colliding against Hades's ribs at the sudden movement.

"Them!" Now Cassandra sounded annoyed. "Cerberus and Mosag."

Hades finally cracked an eye open. "What about them?"

"What are we going to do with them over the summer, stupid?"

Hades frowned. The thought had occurred to him now and again since they found Cerberus, but the concerns were chased away by fears of the end of year exams.

"Mosag will be fine for the summer—"

"She'll be lonely Hades and miss you."

Hades frowned and beneath him the acromantula in question squirmed a little.

"And Cerberus's leg is healing but he can't be on his own! He's a puppy!"

Hades hated that word, puppy. Cerberus himself whined, two heads twisted up to messily kiss any area of exposed skin they could. Hades attempted to bat the excited heads away but that only gave them more appendages to lick so he gave up.

"I mean we could probably mail Mosag to you, if we want to risk getting caught mailing an illegal dangerous creature," Cassandra said doubtfully, twisting so she laid on her side, knees bend and one arm coming up to pillow her head. "But Cerberus is too big."

Sensing Hades's displeasure, Cerberus gave a low whine. Hades scratched behind one of his ears.

"I was thinking about putting Mosag in my bag," he admitted. "But Cerberus is still too big. Mosag can fit in your trunk fine and we can bring her out on the train, but our spellwork isn't good enough to make our bags hold Cerberus."

There was a pause, then Cassandra said, "We could ask the groundskeeper to keep an eye on them."

"Absolutely not," Hades objected with a disapproving frown. Cassandra frowned back, making a childish face.

"Have I seen the groundskeeper?" Rhad wondered aloud, finally looking up from his book. "What's his name again?"

"Hagrid."

"And he was expelled from school for endangering students," Hades pointed out crossly. "So no, we're not giving him access to an acromantula and a three-headed dog and that's final Cassandra. Mosag I can smuggle away with me. But Cerberus is harder—"

"I got it!" Cassandra shot to her feet, her eyes distant and unseeing. "I have Seen it."

"You know where to find us!" Rhad called cheerfully after her retreating back. To Hades, he asked, "What do you reckon that was all about?"

"With Cassandra, it's impossible to say," Hades grumbled, returning his attention to the dog sprawled over his lap.

Cassandra would enlighten them soon enough and if she didn't, well, he certainly wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of begging the question of her strange revelations. Rhad was either in agreement or too well-bred to question further; he returned to his studies.

They stayed at the foot of the forest until the sun began to set and Rhad complained that the lighting was too poor to study anymore ("You are a wizard, Rhad, just use lumos." "It hurts my eyes.") and that he grew hungry so they bid the creatures goodbye.

"What will we do for this summer?" Mosag clicked as she followed them a distance on the path towards the castle.

"I do not know," Hades admitted. "But we will think of something. Take care of Cerberus."

Mosag clicked her giant mouthpiece, slowing down so the wizards could continue on their way without her. Hades didn't look back but Rhad did, somehow managing not to drop the small library he carted around.

"She always looks so sad when we leave," Rhad sighed.

Hades grunted. "She's an acromantula."

"Yes, but still."'

As they approached the entrance of the castle, Hades's eyes were drawn to the shadows lurking near the stairs, their hulking figures vaguely familiar. Hades's hand automatically went to the wand stashed in his pocket and the other, just as automatically, came to rest between Rhad's shoulder blades. Haded hadn't even noticed the touch until Rhad turned, eyebrows raised in surprise. Hades blinked down at him. Before he had a chance to explain himself or remove the offensive display of affection, one of the lurking shadows stepped forward and knocked the small library out of Rhad's arms.

"Hey!" Rhad objected, jumping back so the corner of his potions book didn't nail him in the foot.

Hades whirled on the twinned shadows, recognizing their twisted sneers: Thanatos and Hypnos.

"Whoops," Thanatos sneered as Rhad's books tumbled and came to twisted stops in the grass, their spines bend unnaturally.

"Better watch where you're going next time, half-pint," Hypnos snarled.

Hades's wand pointed steadfastly at the pair. "Or perhaps you should watch where you're going," Hades suggested coldly. "We wouldn't want a replay of what happened last time, now would we?"

The pair sneered at him but neither moved. Hades almost smirked; they remembered.

"What were you doing lurking around the Forbidden Forest?" Hypnos demanded, his lips curling unpleasantly. He hadn't reached for his wand, eyes fixed on the one held in Hades's hand.

"Yeah, isn't it a little suspicious, the son of Kronos Olympian sneaking off into the dark forest?" Thanatos jerked his head towards the castle. "What would people think if they found out?"

"Odd," Hades's lips peeled back, "I thought you said that I was a badger among basilisks? Just an ickle Hufflepuff. There's nothing to fear from a first-year Hufflepuff, now is there?"

Hypnos ground his teeth together as Hades smiled thinly at him.

"You better watch out, Olympian," Thanatos snarled. "We're onto you. I don't know how you tricked the hat into putting you in Hufflepuff—"

"Hm. I seem to recall you accepting it with gusto a few months ago."

Thanatos's hand reached for his wand but all Hades had to do was lazily raise his and the Slytherin stopped cold, eye twitching.

"Go ahead, try it," Hades encouraged lightly as he saw the fire in Thanatos's eyes. "It would do wonders for morale if an ickle first year Hufflepuff put the Slytherin twins in the Hospital Wing."

"Hades." Rhad's warning was barely audible.

"Pick up your books, Rhad," Hades instructed, keeping his wand steadily pointed at the green and black-clad pair.

Rhad didn't need to be told twice. When he had scooped up the lost tome up, he straightened and, without being prompted, headed for the entrance.

"If you bother him again," Hades threatened idly, letting his words hang in the air.

"You'll regret this, Olympian," Hypnos muttered, breathing heavily.

Checking to make sure Rhad had made it inside the school, Hades leaned forward, invading the Slytherins's personal space. They held their ground, but he could see Thanatos's jaw clench, Hypnos's hand going to his pocket. Watching for a wand, Hades smiled. It was a trick he learned from Cassandra, as it made him look quite insane, a distinct tactical advantage.

"Oh, I don't think so," he whispered fearlessly looking into Hypnos's eyes as he let a slow, mad smile curve up his face. "You boys are nothing compared to the things I have seen. The monsters that lurk in the shadows are my bedmates; magic so dark the very incantation settle in your lungs like water, my lullaby; the whispers that never dared to leave the shadows and threatened to tear the very civility of wizardkind swim through my veins; I am the badger among basilisks, what fears do you think could hold me?"

Hades straightened up, the smiling sliding off his face. "Be wise, boys. Enjoy your summer."

Rhad stood half-frowning at the entrance of the hall, watching Hades. "What did you say?" he demanded, standing on his tiptoes to try and see around his friend.

The joke was on him, he needed a growth spurt and a miracle to see past Hades. Hades smiled and it was a very different expression that ghosted across his face than the one he granted Thanatos and Hypnos.

"Don't worry about it. Let's go find Cassandra."

Exam week dawned.

"Rhad, you have the book memorized," Hades said, his voice even as he watched his friend pour over his Potions book. They had their Potion's exam in two hours and even the sweet allure of freedom wafting around the corner couldn't shake Rhad from his studies.

They had finished breakfast twenty odd minutes ago and stood waiting in the cool shadow of the entrance hall for Cassandra to appear—which could take anywhere from a couple of seconds to an hour, depending on the witch's mood. Hades found it didn't bother him today, lifting his head up so the warm summer breeze could caress his face.

The tranquility shattered a moment later when, with the sound of a book closing (which should have been Hades's first warning that something was amiss), Rhad asked, "Who is that with Cassandra?"

Hades's eyes were open at once, and he and Rhad stared as Cassandra drew closer with an older, severe-looking Slytherin girl at her side. Hades's spine locked into place, his chin coming up as he tensed. Cassandra didn't look distressed, but the green snake that gleamed on the collar of her walking companion didn't bode well with Hades. His fingers twitched, desperate to tug the Ravenclaw away from the serpent and into the safety of her two badgers.

"Hades, Rhad," Cassandra called without preamble, "This is Hecate. She's a fifth-year pureblood, she'll pass her OWLs this year and be well on her way to joining the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures."

Hades wondered if she was trying to give them a heart attack.

"Boys, say hello," Cassandra reprimanded crossly, folding her arms across her chest as she and Hecate came to a halt before them.

The Slytherin looked utterly unimpressed, crossing her own arms and staring down at the younger boys from under sharply sculpted eyebrows.

"I know you," Hades said slowly. "You're mother frequented mine." Before Kronos's imprisonment went unsaid.

"She did." Hecate's words were sharp and short.

Her eyes, so blue they were nearly purple, bore into Hades's and an odd sensation came over the younger wizard; there was something that wasn't quite pity in those dark orbs—kinship, maybe. Or perhaps even shame. Hades took a good, long second look at the girl. Nothing about her was particularly familiar, not even the name, but her sharp, pointed nose and round jaw could have belonged to any number of guests who often graced his mother's halls. That and the way she held herself, jaw at a ninety-degree angle with the floor, shoulders direct over her hips, hands hovering over her wand as though she were one ill-fated word away from a draw, were as natural as breathing to Hades. An odd ache grew in his chest, clawing at his throat with a hollow echo that he didn't quite understand.

"Why did you bring her here?" Hades asked, tearing his eyes away from the Slytherin girl to meet the calmer, comforting gaze of Cassandra. He knew the answer before Cassandra even opened her mouth:

"Cerberus."

Rhad licked his lips, eyes flickering from Cassandra to Hecate.

"She knows," Cassandra said before he could say anything. "But more importantly she knows how to sneak him out of Hogwarts."

Rhad's face convulsed, and part of Hades almost fell prey to the same impulse that was second nature to him—to sneer, turn up his nose—but Cassandra's eyes bore into his and Hades kept his face blank. Rhad whirled to face Hades, eyebrows pulled together in betrayal when he realized Hades didn't share his disbelief. Well, at least that his face didn't convey a similar disbelief.

But Hades wasn't really watching his friend; his eyes were instead fixed on the new bearer of their secret.

"You trust her?"

"I do," Cassandra replied simply.

Hades nodded. "Okay."

"Okay?" Rhad repeated in disbelief, "whoa, okay, wait a minute, let's think through this—"

Hades ignored him, raising his voice to be heard, and addressed Hecate, who was examining her nails, feigning disinterest.

"Oh? Are we done squabbling?" she drawled, feeling his eyes upon her and rising her own to meet his.

"You can get him out?"

"Perhaps. Show me the . . . troublesome ball of fur."

Hades appreciated the discretion, even if the chosen phrase made his lips curl. Merlin, you'd think they had a badly behaved rabbit.

"Lead the way," Hecate said with a dramatic sweep of her arm.

When neither Hades nor Cassandra made any motion to start forward, Rhad heaved a pained sigh.

"Alright, come on, this way."

As they traveled across the grounds towards the forest, Hades fell silently in step with Cassandra, letting Rhad take Hecate on ahead.

"Why?"

Cassandra didn't look surprised by the question. Her dark eyes crinkled, the ghost of a smile on her face.

"I Saw her."

"Sure you did."

Cassandra gave a soft laugh, deep and melodious, too used to Hades to be much affected by his disbelief.

"She's a lot like you, only . . . I don't know, less intense. She's a Slytherin, but the hat almost put her somewhere else. She doesn't agree with her pureblood family but not enough to do anything about it. When she graduates, she'll run off to Egypt and never return." Cassandra paused, looking like she might say more but decided against it. "She'll get Cerberus out safely, and she'll bring him home to you. She'll even convince your mother he's a good pet for you."

Hades nodded slowly, letting her words sink in. He still wasn't sure he believed Cassandra was a Seer, but he did trust her judgment. And she did have the unnerving knack of being right.

"What," he asked, tossing each letting around in his mouth carefully, "do you mean by less intense?"

"I didn't mean anything bad by it. It isn't that Hecate isn't important—everyone is important. She just isn't . . . you. She's not you. You . . . you'll . . . you are . . . " Cassandra's brow puckered. "Change. You inspire change. You are change. Important, world-ramifying change. Come on, let's catch up."

Hades frowned at Cassandra's back as she took off, running full tilt past Hecate and Rhad, leaving Hades in the dust. What in Merlin's beard? Hades stared after her but didn't get the chance to think before, his mind oddly blank, a voice called: "Master?"

Hades pulled himself up short, nearly tripping over his feet as he narrowly avoided trampling over the acromantula in the grass.

"Merlin! Mosag, what are you trying to do? I almost stepped on—"

"Stranger with Master. New friend?"

Hades crouched down, the other three wizards carrying on without noticing his sudden absence. Mosag scurried onto his lap, the wizard's hands coming around to protectively hold her close.

"Ally," Hades corrected. "She's going to help us get Cerberus home."

"Safe?"

"Cassandra trusts her."

Mosag nodded, dropping the line of questions, as if Cassandra's trust was as satisfactory for the acromantula as it had been for her master.

"Stay hidden," Hades instructed all the same. There was a difference between a magically deformed puppy and an illegal, dangerous acromantula. He wasn't going to risk Mosag being seen.

"Stay close but hidden," he repeated, scratching the center of her thorax before letting the acromantula crawl off his lap.

Hades stood, one eye on Mosag, before catching up with the group.

"Hades should go first," Cassandra was saying, looking over her shoulder to find Hades half jogging to catch up with the group. She said nothing, for which he was eternally grateful.

Rhad and Hecate parted to let Hades through and he walked between them, striding purposefully into the undergrowth of the forest.

"Cerberus," he called, kicking fallen branches out of his way.

A high pitched yip greeted him. Hades knelt down, parting the branches that hid Cerberus's den from prying eyes to reveal the dog, all three tongues excitedly hanging out and tail wagging.

"Careful, careful," Hades urged as the pup tried to come to his feet, its broken leg dragging in its makeshift cast.

"Hey, hey," Hades said, exasperate, as he removed the charm that kept the dog in his den. "Careful now."

Cerberus rammed into Hades's ankles, nipping and licking excitedly, still emitting the high pitched yips. Hades shook his head, leaning down to scoop the happy pup up. The middle head immediately began lapping at his face, one of the others chewing on the collar of his robe. Hades straightened up and stepped back, turning around to face the others. It took Cerberus all of half a second to realize they had company. Hades tensed, watching Hecate; would Cerberus growl, what if he was scared, what if he didn't like—

Cerberus yipped even louder, wiggling wildly as he tried to greet the others.

"Hey Cere," Cassandra cooed, stepping up without preamble to scratch behind one of Cerberus's many ears.

"How are you, buddy?" Rhad cajoled a heartbeat later, coming to Hades's other side.

It was like his friends were trying to create a Hades-sandwich, pulling it tightly and squishing him effectively between their warm weights.

Cerberus was in heaven, all three tongues hanging out and tail thumping wildly against Hades.

"He's still very young," Hecate noted, tilting her head to the side as she surveyed the animal. "Very friendly."

"Yes, he is."

Hades stared at Cerberus. One of his heads turned, licking Hades's jaw. His tail thumped heavily against Hades's stomach, happy and fearless. Hades peered over the three heads at Hecate, whose fingers were curled at her side, clutching at her robes as though holding herself back.

"Why don't you come pet him?"

Hecate, as if she had been waiting for the invitation, stepped forward and cupped one of Cerberus's fuzzy snouts. As the other three watched, the severe-looking Slytherin leaned over and pressed her nose to one of Cerberus's wet one.

"Who's a good boy?" she asked and Cerberus barked, wiggling like a maniac.

When Hecate pulled back, there was a smile on her face. Rhad openly gaped at the sight. Cassandra radiated smugness.

"So," Hades asked, shuffling the dog around so he rested over the wizard's heart. "Can you get him out?"

Hecate cocked her head to the side, ruffling Cerberus's back. "Of course, I can."

Rhad finished their Potions exam a full half hour early, squeezing Hades's shoulder in support on his way out. Hades himself finished with five minutes to spare, turning in his parchment with what might almost pass for a smile before joining the gaggle of giggling yellow on their journey down to the Hufflepuff dormitory. The infectious happiness even managed to wiggle under Hades's harsh Olympian exterior—no more exams.

Hades trailed behind the group as they grew closer to the dormitory. When the group made their final turn, Hades continued straight, a different destination in mind. It was still daylight—he would see Cerberus one more time before Hecate smuggled him away, Hades decided. He let his feet guide the way, his mind, free from the worries of exams or classes, wandered. In a week's time, he would be home. Back in Kronos's house. Him, Hades, a sorted Hufflepuff. Where would that leave him?

It wasn't a particularly pleasant train of thought. It occupied Hades's mind so much that he didn't notice he was being cornered until a figure stepped right into his path.

"Thanatos," Hades said disapprovingly, hiding his surprise as the bulky Slytherin's shadow fell over him. "Didn't we chat about this?"

"Olympian," Thanatos greeted with a wicked grin. "I can't say that I remember."

Without letting Thanatos out of sight, Hades tried to survey his surroundings. There were at least six figures around him, including Hypnos who was to Thanatos's immediate left, grinning just as horribly. The gravity of the situation sank in as shadows detached themselves from the wall, surrounding him on all sides. Hades's hand gripped his wand inside his robes, consciously keeping his breath slow and even. He couldn't afford to panic. He'd been in worse situations, a young child cowering in the corner as the dark magic of his father surrounding him. He turned his head only enough to check on his unwanted guests. He found a few vaguely familiar faces in green snakes. Hades blinked and suddenly he was back in Olympian manor, the front door opening and darkness slinking inside.

"Shouldn't you be heading to dinner?" Hades asked, forcefully dragging himself back to the present and the very real dangers it presented.

"No, I'm exactly where I want to be," Thanatos sneered, stepping closer. "You know, Olympian, for someone as weasely as yourself, you also run like clockwork. What do you do every evening when you run into the forest? Practice dark magic? Torture mudbloods? Weep yourself to sleep?"

Hades clenched his jaw, cursing himself for allowing them to fall into a pattern. Stupid. His foolishness could get Mosag killed. Hades's heart sped up—did they know about her? Unlikely, he calmed himself, watching Thanatos's face. No, no, if they knew about Mosag, they'd already have lorded it over his head.

"Dangerous for little first years to go off on their own. Isn't it lads?"

The other Slytherins all laughed, drawing in closer. Hades squared his jaw, eyes locked on Thanatos as his mind strategized. He could get Thanatos, that much was for sure, then the others would get him. Hades only hoped the fear of expulsion would tame their wands in the way it never tamed his father's. He tensed, muscles tightening as he waited for it to start.

"Hey!"

Thanatos whirled.

Sliding in shoulder to shoulder behind the bulky Slytherin were Cassandra and Rhad, wands at the draw. Hades's heart constricted at the sight and for a moment, he felt he could not breathe. His friends, they had—

"Six on one is hardly fair, you cowards," Cassandra called, her dark eyes starlight bright as she aimed her wand straight at Thanatos. What a stupidly Gryffindor thing to do.

"Why you little—" Thanatos snarled, raising his wand.

Hades didn't even think—his stupefy hit Thanatos directly between his shoulder blades. And, like flipping a switch, it started. Hades's spell had hardly left his wand when answering spells dazzled around the hall, sparks of red and yellow exploding around them. Hades whirled to face their attackers and his friends closed in around him, Rhad to the left and Cassandra to the right. Their opponents were all bigger, stronger, older but woefully unprepared for the ferocity of the first years. Rhad took up defense, protecting them from most of the on-slaughter through simple shield charms and a few well-placed expelliarmuses. Cassandra, on the other hand, cast jinx after jinx with no mercy, gleefully cackling as though she were honestly having fun. The Slytherins rightly looked disturbed, their spells half-hearted and wild without their leader to direct them. The fray only lasted maybe a minute or two but it felt like an eternity as Cassandra laughed madly, Rhad's grin lit up the hallway brighter than any spell and Hades thought: this is the world I choose.

"What in Merlin's name is going on here?!"

The sharp voice stopped any further spells. The chaos faded in a heartbeat, the hallway falling eerily silent. Hades looked to his left where Rhad had bubbles coming out of his ears, and to his right where Cassandra had buck teeth but was grinning madly. Together, the two friends helped keep Hades upright, who'd probably been hit with a leg-locking spell. None of the Slytherins were even on their feet though, so Hades counted it as a victory. The closest Slytherin groaned, rubbing her nose as one last bat few out of it. Hades stared at the carnage, barely noticing the sharp, angry "Never in my life!"s the teacher spouted, and something warm grew in his chest.

They got a one-way ticket to the infirmary and detention for the rest of term with a holdover until next year where they would continue what was actually a month's worth of detention.

"Worth it," Cassandra said, words only slightly distorted by her buck teeth.

"How did you know?" Hades asked, who was staying overnight for observation due to the litany of spells that "may have unintended side effects due to the combination of so many spells at once, Mr. Olympian, you are to stay in that bed!"

Rhad was bound in the bed next to his for the same reason. The Slytherins were detained for much the same but the two sides of the ward were separated by a magical wall to keep the factions apart.

"I Saw it."

Hades hummed. Next to him, Rhad's head lobbed to the side. "She basically somersaulted across the Great Hall and hauled me away."

"Patently untrue," Cassandra tried to counter.

"No that sounds about right," Hades mused.

Rhad laughed and Cassandra's shoulders shook with barely repressed laughter, her lips pressed together to try as she pretended to take offense. Hades stared at them and the question he may have asked a month ago, perhaps even a week ago, came to his mind: why? Why would they do it? Why would they risk themselves like that for him? But the question barely crossed his mind when the answer came: because they were his friends.

They came because they were his friends and that was what friends did. Hades didn't even feel the urge to ask, to question himself or agonize over the particulars. He knew the answer. He didn't need the question.

"You doing okay there, Hades?" Cassandra asked, eyes closed but probably feeling a 'shift in his aura' or something equally ridiculous.

"Yes." His back hurt, his legs still unwilling to bend the proper way. He turning to look at the little Seer, whose teeth were sticking out of her mouth, and Hades smiled. "I'm okay."

Term ended without much fanfare. Gryffindor won the House Cup, thanks in the large part to the tussle between the Slytherins and Hades's friends. The extreme loss of points dropped Slytherin to last place and Hufflepuff hit a historic low. Oddly enough, their fellow badgers didn't seem upset by this historic low. Actually, Hades got smiled at by members of his house and uncomfortable bracing shoulder shakes in the hallway. Rhad and Hades found themselves surrounded by yellow bodies in the Great Hall instead of their usual isolated spot at the end of the table. It was like the entire Hufflepuff house had decided to absorb the pair of them.

"They're talking to me," Hades muttered in mild alarm.

Rhad grinned, bumping his shoulder against his friend's. "We're been formally adopted. Face it Hades, you're a Hufflepuff through and through. Defended your friends in a full-on duel against a horde of Slytherins. The gig is up, your secret is out, you big softie."

"I will murder you in your sleep," Hades deadpanned, closing his trunk with a click. Mosag laid curled up on top of his bag, waiting patiently for the boys to finish packing their things before she had to hide away for the journey.

"You'll have to wait until September," Rhad cheekily returned as he too packed the rest of his belongings away.

Hades huffed, reaching out to scratch Mosag's back as he took one last look around the dormitory. He let his eyes scan the warm space, trying to pretend he was checking to make sure he wasn't leaving anything behind, but he found he couldn't lie, not even to himself; he was memorizing every detail of the hole in the ground that had somehow wormed its way into his heart.

"You know," he said slowly. "I think I will actually miss the oppressive heat and claustrophobic corners of our little dormitory."

Hades could feel Rhad's eyes on him and thanked his lucky star that his friend didn't call him out on the sentimentality that lurked behind his words. They stood in silence, letting the heat absorb into their skin, the dampness settle in their lungs for one last time. A speck of yellow caught Hades's eye and he knelt down, pulling a fallen object out from under his bed. He held it in his hands, blinking. It was the yellow and black scarf Hestia knitted for him. Hades ran his hand along the seam between the two colors, his thumb sinking into its softness. And even though it was the middle of summer, Hades wrapped the scarf around his neck.

"All set?" Hades asked, standing and turning around.

Rhad, good dependable Rhad, only smiled. "All set."

Mosag climbed into Hades's bag and the boys departed. Cassandra waited for them outside the Great Hall and they walked side by side out to the train. Students shouted and laughed around them, but the three friends felt no urge to add their voices to the cacophony. Hades caught Cassandra's eyes and she smiled, motioning for him to keep moving forward. The Hogwarts Express looked exactly the same as it had when it picked him up last September, the same voices shouting and screaming about him. But it sat differently with Hades, who found a hand on the small of his back propelling him forward.

"Head to the back," Cassandra instructed as they boarded the train and Hades did as bid.

Hades led the way down the train's hall, pulling his trunk behind him and keeping his bag, with Mosag safely tucked away inside, close to his side. Cassandra had the right idea in mind: they needed to be as far away from prying eyes as possible so the poor acromantula could spread her many legs. They passed Hufflepuffs all wrapped in yellow, who, to Hades's horror, nodded and waved at the three as they passed. Hades thought he caught a glimpse of one of the Slytherins who cornered them in the hall, but Cassandra kept pushing him forward and the familiar face disappeared. Once they had traveled down far enough, the three started checking for an empty compartment.

Naturally, it was just Hades's luck that the first compartment he tried was not only occupied but four familiar faces were found inside: Hercules, Achilles, Theseus, and Patroclus. They looked different from the first time he saw them, decked in brilliant gold and crimson (except for Patroclus who provided a cooling splash of blue). But it wasn't just the robes that made them different. It was the very way they held themselves, now nearly a year older and wiser, with months worth of mischief and experience cementing into an unbreakable bond of friendship.

It somehow felt worse to see the four companions sitting in the same exact formation as their maiden trip all those months ago than the half glimpse of their Slytherin adversary or the strange Hufflepuff comradery. Hades could almost see himself squeezed into the window seat across from Patroclus, half smirking as the boys made boisterous fools of themselves and spun wild, highly embellished tales of the last year's exploits. In another life, perhaps, one less fraught with uncertainty and fear.

His would-be/could-be/not-to-be friends stared at him and Hades stared back. A strange sense of déjà vu crept up Hades's back, almost as though he were seeing double. Except, that was distrust flashing in Hercules's eyes, and nothing short of overprotective fury in Achilles's as he lead forward to block Patroclus from view. Yes, perhaps in a different life they may have been friends, but not in this one, Hades mused as Theseus squared his jaw. It would never have worked in this one.

"Sorry," Hades said, not feeling sorry at all.

But he didn't move, letting the Gryffindors stew in the stalemate until, one by one, they each lowered their eyes. He wasn't sure if it was shame, embarrassment, hatred or the pure blackness of Hades's own eyes that made them look away but it satisfied something inside of Hades.

"My mistake," Hades said, and he wasn't referring to the intrusion of their compartment.

He stepped back, looking over his shoulder at Cassandra and Rhad. Cassandra was frowning, eyeing the Gryffindors with suspicion. Rhad's eyebrows were pulled together. Then the image of himself among the Gryffindor troupe disappeared from Hades's mind. He had his place, and he was content with it. Hades smiled at his friends, nodding his head down the rest of the hall.

"Come on," he told them, moving on.

He hadn't made it even one step when:

"Hades, wait!

Hades found himself turning back around, one eyebrow raised. Patroclus had launched himself out of the compartment, one hand reached out towards Hades. In the background Achilles made a noise of protest, but Patroclus shut the compartment door right in his face.

"Can," the older boy asked, "can we talk?"

"Go on, I'll catch up," Hades told the others. Cassandra's lips turned down, her eye twitching.

Hades made a shooing motion. "Go on, then, I'm alright."

"Come on, Cass," Rhad coaxed, taking Cassandra by the arm. Cassandra allowed herself to be dragged away, but not before making 'watching you' eyes at Patroclus.

Hades rolled his eyes at her antics before facing Patroclus.

"I—" Patroclus haltered. "Those are two good friends you have there, Hades."

"Yes. I know."

Patroclus nodded awkwardly, staring intensely at Hades. "I—" Patroclus cut himself off. "We didn't, that first day. It was wrong of us—it's just, it's hard being Muggleborn or having Muggle blood and, with all that's going on right now and your—well, we shouldn't have judged so harshly but . . . . I guess what I'm trying to say is how we treated you was wrong and there really isn't an excuse, so I'm, we're, well, I'm sorry."

"No, you're not," Hades objected mildly.

Patroclus opened his mouth, face earnest but Hades waved him off.

"And it's okay. Seriously, Patroclus, it's okay. Besides, I'm not sorry either."

"But if we had just been—"

"But you weren't," Hades interrupted bluntly. "But then again, neither was I. I could have said something, perhaps been less standoffish. Or at least acknowledged the very real fears that are associated with the name I bear, even if I do not support them. But what's done is done and I have found something better. There are no hard feelings between us, Patroclus."

Patroclus stared at him, chewing on his bottom lip contemplatively. "And the others?"

"There are some hard feelings there," Hades admitted frankly. "But you have no enemy in me, nor your friends. Not an enemy. But not a friend either."

"I understand that," Patroclus said, nodding slowly.

"Alright."

Hades stared at the Ravenclaw, who was watching him with the same contemplative expression on his face. Hades stared back, wondering when the conversation would be over (could it be over? Hades was certainly done with it). He had the odd feeling the older boy was waiting for something. After considering for a moment, Hades held his hand out. Patroclus's lips twitched but he sportingly reached out and shook it.

"Be seeing you then, Hades," Patroclus said, smiling faintly.

"I daresay you will," Hades agreed, reclaiming his hand.

And when Hades turned to walk away, he could feel the Ravenclaw's eyes burning into the back of his head the whole way down. Hades didn't turn back once.

It was easy enough to find his friends and both of them gave him a not-so-subtle once over when he slipped inside, before Rhad held out a chocolate frog.

"Thanks," Hades said, taking it and settling in across from the small boy, next to the window so Cassandra was on his right side.

"So—" Cassandra began.

"It's nothing and we're not talking about it," Hades cut her off, positioning himself carefully before unbuttoning his bag and checking on Mosag.

"Move a little to the left," Rhad told Cassandra.

"I want to talk—" Cassandra said irritably as she shifted accordingly as Mosag groggily crept out of Hades's bag.

"Alright there?" Hades murmured, running his hand over the acromantula and making sure the journey hadn't injured her in any way.

Mosag clicked drowsily, burying herself against Hades until she was a fist-sized ball against his hip.

"Hades," Cassandra said, irritated.

"Cassandra," he mimicked, lifting his eyes enough to meet hers. Her mouth pressed together firmly, clearly unhappy with him. "I'm okay," he told her.

She stared back at him, her dark eyes boring into his for one . . . two . . . three— "Okay."

"Okay?"

"How do you feel, Mosag?" Cassandra asked, letting the subject drop as she turned her attention to the rumpled creature instead.

Mosag clicked again, nuzzling into Hades's shirt like she was Cerberus or something. Ridiculous creature. Hades gently ran the back of his fingers over her head.

"Lot of jostling," Rhad guessed, clicking his own tongue sympathetically.

"Poor baby," Cassandra cooed. "Here, Hades give me your cloak, we'll make a bed out of it for the poor girl."

Mosag didn't want to leave Hades's warmth so they balled up his cloak and made a nest against Hades. Mosag disappeared inside, all but hidden from the outside eye.

"She's safe," Rhad proclaimed, standing in the doorway and leaning from side to side to check if Mosag was visible.

"Are you sure? Anyone who walks in is going to be twice your height, did you factor that into consideration?" Hades asked, which earned him a choice hand gesture from the small boy.

Any debate was saved by the sweets lady, who dropped by a moment later and left, none the wiser about the dangerous acromantula snuggled against Hades's side and that put an end to their worries. They chatted as the train drove onward, about classes, about Cerberus and how Hecate might have snuck him out, about what their detention would be when they returned and Rhad's particular choice in Muggle clothing when it came time to change. And then—

"You both have to write."

"Hm?" Rhad asked at Cassandra's out of the blue announcement.

"Over the summer, you must both write me or I will hunt you down," Cassandra explained with a roll of her eyes, as if they should have predicted the change in topic.

"You should visit the manor," Hades said, the words leaving his mouth without getting proper leave by his brain first.

"Would I be allowed?" Cassandra asked, not bothering to beat around the bush or be sensitive. Hades appreciate her candor, even as he scolded his tongue for uttering such sentiment.

"You," Hades said, speaking slowly as he thought, "Should be. It is not an Olympian's nature to ask for things, we simply do. I shall write and have you over."

"And we'll see what happens," Cassandra filled in dryly.

"Nothing will happen while I am with you."

"Yeah, that's not the part I worry about."

"Mother will like Rhad."

"All mothers like me, I'm very likable," Rhad agreed, tongue in cheek.

"Shut up, Rhad," Cassandra snorted, throwing an empty box of Bertie Botts at the small boy.

"It'll be okay," Hades said, speaking over the pair before a squabble could erupt. "And you can see Mosag and Cerberus."

"I will miss them," Cassandra sighed, turning to look down at their sleepy acromantula.

"She's starting to molt," Rhad noted, leaning forward in his seat to stare fondly at Mosag.

"Is she?" Hades frowned, looking down at the giant spider. He ran his thumb over her thorax as he knew she liked, noticing for the first time how her skin did appear a little dry and when he put a little more pressure in his petting, starting to bunch up and flake.

"Ecdysis."

"Bless you."

Cassandra rolled her eyes so hard Hades was mildly surprised they didn't fall right out of her head.

"Ecdysis. It's the name for the process of shedding the old skin or casting off of an outer layer." Cassandra turned but . . . but she wasn't looking at Mosag.

"Ecdysis," she repeated, reaching out to tug on the scarf around Hades's neck. She smiled, all sharp edges and mystery.

"Shut up," Hades said for good measure.

When the train pulled into platform nine and three quarters, Hades, Rhad, and Cassandra waited in their compartment under the guise of waiting until the rush calmed down before departing.

"You two will write," Cassandra repeated among the sea of departing students.

"Do you have an owl? You keep one of my family's for the summer," Rhad told her, all but holding onto Hades to prevent himself from being swept away in the tide.

"We'll be seeing one another," Hades promised, a promise he fully intended to keep.

They walked side by side until they reached the platform. Rhad's parents stole him away first and the small boy waved cheerfully as he dragged from sight, then Cassandra was being whisked away by a witch with gravity-defying hair.

"Write," was her parting word and a smile that made September feel both very close and too far away.

Hades watched his friends go, surprised at how much the departure affected him. He would have stayed rooted to the spot, watching Cassandra's smile fade from sight, were it not for the pressing of his own family. Rhea was easy enough to spot, standing in her full immaculate glory as she strode towards Hades. She was sans children save for Hestia, who smiled wider and brighter than the moon when she saw what her brother was wearing.

"My first born," Rhea sighed lovingly as they drew nearer, holding her arms out and Hades let himself be engulfed.

She smelled like violet perfume and her skin was cool to the touch, and when Hestia took her turn at smothering him next, his sister carried the earthy smelled he had become accustomed to at Hogwarts.

"You look good in yellow," Hestia whispered in his ear.

"Yes, I do," he agreed softly and she held him so tight, she nearly broke his spine.

The Olympian Manor seemed smaller somehow when Hades stepped onto its shaded porch. Less splendid. The hedges were magiced to perfection, the Manor itself towered magnificently, but everything paled with the memory of Hogwarts. Hades wondered if his father ever noticed the difference, if the Manor itself was a desperate attempt to imitate the grand castle he left behind. He failed, if that were his goal. The hallways seemed darker, the corners cooler as Hades dragged his trunk up to his room. Hecate obviously had yet to drop Cerberus off but Hades found he wasn't concerned.

"Stay out of sight for now," Hades told Mosag as he gently put his bag down on his bed.

The acromantula slowly stretched out, her legs gingerly spreading out to test out her new environment. She emerged out into the bed, slightly rumpled but no worse for the wear.

"Hard," she clicked as she explored her new environment. "Like other bed better."

"Hm," Hades hummed, absently stroking her back as he surveyed his room.

All his things were as he left them. The large bed perfectly made with its black comforter, the dresser twice Rhad's height, bookshelf pristinely dusted but overflowing with tomes he'd never read. Above his head, a crystal chandelier dangled, beautiful and cold. Hades turned, not sure what he was looking for.

"Not home," Mosag grumbled, scratching at the comforter. "But will do. Still smells like you. Needs friend smell."

"Yes," Hades said absently, thinking of a distant dormitory bathed in the golden rays of the sun through round windows and humid warmth pressing into brightly lit corners. "Don't let anyone see you. I will be back."

Mosag clicked in reply, scurrying off the bed to explore. Hades let her be, going off to explore himself. It was strange, walking through the halls of his father's after nearly a year of being away, tucked between a very different set of walls then the ones he remember from his childhood, even though he knew they were one and the same.

Hades let his mind wander, his feet going where they may, and was only mildly surprised when he found himself standing before the Olympian hearth. He tilted his head up, staring at the Slytherin banner that had loomed looked over him his entire life. It somehow felt smaller, or perhaps it was Hades who was larger now. He tilted his head to the side, staring up at the green snake. Curious, how the sun never seemed to warm its fabric. All his life, the Slytherin snake hung over his head, a harbinger of doom—funny how something that felt larger than life only a few months ago seemed an outdated relic, fraying and fading.

"Mother said you were back."

"Poseidon," Hades acknowledged, turning to find the green-eyed boy behind him.

Poseidon was tanner than the last time Hades saw him and perhaps a couple inches taller. It was hard to gauge; Hades had gotten quite used to Rhad's meager height after all. Poseidon's eyes fell on the Hufflepuff scarf still wrapped securely around his brother's neck, one dark eyebrow raising in surprise. Hades didn't flinch or scowl this time, the ache that churned his stomach last Christmas at his brother's contempt of the house now non-existent. Let Poseidon think what he may.

"How was it?" Poseidon asked finally and despite the question's vagueness Hades knew what he meant.

"Well," Hades said. "It was well, Poseidon."

Poseidon raised his eyes to the snake that towered over the pair.

"Mother already bought my robes."

"A size too large no doubt."

Poseidon's lips did a strange, unhappy twist. They werent the best at emotions, the Olympians. Hestia was probably the only one who could freely admit to even having them but Hades could see the concern lurking in his younger brother's eyes and it tugged at something inside the elder boy.

"It's not what the stories say, Hogwarts," Hades began. "It's not like how Father told it or the men who frequented him. It's different than I ever imagined. Larger somehow. Less confining. It was strange, what happened there. You get sorted into a House and told how to behave, and yet somehow no one ever quite achieves it, or they reach it in a way that no one's ever thought of before."

Poseidon stared at him.

"They turned you into a poet brother. It doesn't suit you." Poseidon thought, head cocking to the side. "A poet or you grew a gilded tongue."

"Don't be foolish, I was born with a gilded tongue." Hades was only half teasing. He stepped forward, thought about ruffling Poseidon's hair but decided against it. The display of affection might send them into the dangerous zone of acknowledging feelings and nobody would come out of that unscathed.

"When I was at Hogwarts, I met cowardly, backstabbing Gryffindors and loyal, reckless ones. I acquired a cultured, workaholic Hufflepuff and roomed with ignorant, frightened ones. A Ravenclaw with nerves of steel followed me into an unfavorably matched fight and others dismissed me as a foregone menace. I put three Slytherins in the hospital wing and revealed one of my darkest secrets to another."

Poseidon's mouth dropped open a little. Hades gave a wry grin.

"Whatever House the hat puts you in will not define you," Hades told him. "And you mustn't confine yourself. You got a good head on your shoulders Poseidon, don't screw it up."

Poseidon stared at his brother thoughtfully. Hades let him, keeping his head held high and chin perpendicular to the ground, the yellow and black scarf on proud display.

"Now run along, I hear Zeus and Demeter coming back. Mother will undoubtedly require all of us for dinner tonight."

"It's . . . good to have you back," Poseidon said, a look far older than his near eleven years should hold lurking in his eyes. Hades sighed at the sight, knowing it was their father that put it there and that a similar look often graced his own vintage. It seemed sometimes the iron grasp of Kronos would never loosen.

"Don't get sentimental on me now, Poseidon Olympian," Hades warned. "Off with you."

Poseidon smirked, a thin elfish thing that was more the impish boy's style, but obligingly began to slink off, disappearing with a flourish.

Show-off, Hades thought almost fondly. He stared at the spot his brother disappeared from, lost in thought. In the distance, he could hear the rambunctious hollering of the youngest Olympian, Demeter's desperate pitch trying to reign the little nightmare in. The display case holding his father's school uniform and the staff of Salazar Slytherin stood opposite Hades, Hades's half-smiling reflection sharply outlined by the sunlight. The Hufflepuff scarf shone in defiance in all its bright glory. Hades tilted his head to the side and, inch by inch, his little half-smile grew until he stood in the middle of his childhood home, grinning like a madman as he stared at his reflection and saw it for what it was for perhaps the first time in his entire life: it was him, Hades Olympian. Not the shadow of Kronos, not the dark son of a dark wizard, not the latest model in a long succession of copies—but an original, a deviation. A badger among basilisks.

Hades Olympian smiled and his reflection smiled back.

When Zeus came storming through the mansion halls, flinging dirt and leaves and childish abandon throughout the empty halls, he tore past the Slytherin banner without a backwards glance. Demeter, hot on his heels and spitting mad, didn't look either. But Rhea, with full intent to rescue her daughter and capture her wayward youngest, did. What she found was startling enough to give her pause. The mistress came to a halt beneath the Slytherin banner that had graced the family hearth since before she born the name Olympian. Draped along the top of the banister, the middle sagging down to crown the tip of the snake's hissing head, was a black and yellow scarf, proudly bearing the emblem of an unassuming badger.

A/n When Poseidon is admitted next year, he will be a Slytherin, and Zeus will be a Gryffindor. You can fight me, I mean message me about my reasoning. Hades will grow up to be head of the department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, Cassandra will be his partner, Rhad will be the exasperate politician always trying to get them out of trouble. Patroclus and Hades will have a not-quite-friendship as Patroclus goes into the Ministry to keep his future boyfriend/husband Achilles out of trouble, who, along with Hercules and Theseus, will predictably be aurors. (And because I thought of it and if I have to live with the pain so do you: when Voldemort rises to power, Patroclus will die protecting his idiotic husband a la the Iliad, sorrynotsorry.) I could probably write forever on this AU because I have so many ideas but I going to stop here because the main purpose was to detail Hades's personal growth into an individual, out of his father's shadow, and because I wanted to show that Hades is secretly a marshmallow who collects dangerous creatures.

Thanks to everyone for being so wonderfully patient with me, life has not been easy as of late. All of your favorites, follows, but especially reviews meant the world! Looking forward, what will I do next? The extras chapter for Murkiest Intentions is 90% complete which means it could be done anywhere from this time next month to September. Who knows, we'll see. I plan on publishing a mid-length Percabeth fic inspired by my beautiful beta rhig122, a mid-length father-son fic, another fairy tale, and a mid-length family fic by the fall. Plan to but we'll see.

Big shout out to my beta Rhig122 for putting up with me and all the changes I kept making!

Please let me know what you thought, and, as always, I hope you enjoyed ~ *