Disclaimer: Me no own Harry Potter
4
Author's note at bottom of the page…IMPORTANT!
-O-O-O-O-
Silence filled the Great Hall as every individual in the room turned to look at the last person they expected to receive a gift like that, especially from a certain individual who they knew without a doubt, never gave a gift to anyone just for fun.
"… Hadrian, is that what I think it is?"
Hadrian Cruor, the Ravenclaw prefect and 'Golden Boy' of Hogwarts, started off having a regular, boring day if he said so himself. Everything was normal, just like the patrons at St. Jude's Orphanage would want it, and Hadrian was resigning himself to another day of tedious classes. However, it appears that he was the only one to not acknowledge that today was February 14th, in other words, the dreaded Valentine's Day.
Hadrian, even though he thought the holiday wasn't even worth celebrating or putting on the calendar in the first place, prepared himself for the utter catastrophe of crying girls and the ugly little trolls that the insane Headmaster Dippet employed to send poems of students to their 'loved ones'; causing complete embarrassment for the receiver and a round of laughs from their fellow classmates when one of the trolls wearing white angel wings showed up in the middle of their class.
Honestly, if you're going to confess to your crush, at least have some decency and include your name with a poem you actually tried on. Nothing else could be worse than having a being playing cupid interrupt your learning with a shitty love couplet given to you from someone named 'Your Secret Admirer'.
Merlin that would be enough for Hadrian to blast the bloody thing through the wall, and burn the stupid little creation that someone was bold enough to give him; unfortunately, there were many of those incidents that happened to Hadrian every Valentine's Day, most of them from pureblood families wanting to enter their daughter or son in a courtship. Thankfully, years of learning through observing others reject their Valentines, be it successfully or unsuccessfully, brought a prepared Hadrian when that fateful day showed its ugly face each year. To think all it took was a couple burnt letters and a Sonorous during dinner in the Great Hall to proclaim that any invitation to a courtship, date, or ball will be immediately sent back to its owner. Paired with a manipulative burst of magic, the students seemed to get the message.
Well the majority of them did.
Once again the only person to ever see through his façade and seemed to have the personal goal of ruining Hadrian's plans was the nuisance of his life, Tom Riddle. The damn Slytherin was in a competition with Hadrian over everything, from Head Boy to who was the favorite for Professor Slughorn. Each time that Riddle won, the smug boy would give Hadrian this smirk, but it wasn't the smirk that bothered him, no, it was the fucking glint in those azure eyes that really pissed the normally reserved boy off. Hadrian didn't know how Riddle did it, but he discovered the secret to getting under Hadrian's cold exterior, each time Riddle challenged him to a new contest felt like another thing Hadrian let slip out of his rigid control, something that didn't sit well with the prodigy at all.
"Just what the hell is he thinking, sending you something like that, let alone on a day like this and in the Great Hall too!"
From all the years that Alastair Black knew his friend Hadrian, he had never seen him this furious before. The Black Heir knew that as soon as Hadrian met Tom there would be trouble, there was too much of a need to prove their dominance over one another in the years that they knew each other.
Then, as they got older, that tension that others would write off as jealousy of each other's abilities turned into something sexual, which to Alastair was completely justifiable. There were just too many similarities between each other for them not become attracted to each other. The saying that opposites attract holds nothing to the relationship between Hadrian and Riddle, almost everything from the way they were raised to nearly their ideals were identical. After all, why would you want to waste your time butting heads with a partner who obviously doesn't agree with your plans and will do anything to change them?
"Alastair, I'm sure that whatever Riddle was trying to prove or relate to Hadrian will be dealt with accordingly. I mean, look at Hadrian right now. He seems ready to go over and rip Riddle a new one." Cyril murmured out silkily next to the musing boy, breaking the Black heir out of his thoughts as Alastair eagerly turned his head to study the aforementioned face.
"You're right Cyril," Ciaran agreed, also studying the cold and malicious glint shining in the emerald eyes of his lord. "We've seen that light before haven't we?"
"Yes we did and it was right after Grindelwald foolishly sent a group of his followers to assault Hadrian on his birthday, what a stupid idea to have. Not only were they pathetic, they were weak too." Alastair scoffed.
"As much as I love to hear you reminisce about events from the past, this neither the time nor the place to discuss such things. We can continue this conversation in our dorm room, where it's properly warded. Now, why do you think Rid-" Hadrian was interrupted from his finishing his question when the King of Slytherin decided to inquire what his Queen thought of his little present.
"How do you like the gift, Hadrian? I picked out especially for you; I thought it would suit your eyes." Tom purred leaning down to get a better view of Hadrian's handsome visage, smirking when those verdant eyes he loved turned icy.
"Really now Riddle, I never took you as a person to actually court someone, let alone do it properly. I would've thought that you wouldn't waste your precious time on frivolous things like buying flowers or gifts to woo someone, it seems like there is a soft side to you after all." Hadrian replied frostily, picking up a box wrapped elegantly in the Slytherin colors.
Raising an eyebrow when he was handed the package, Tom observed the box skeptically. "Oh? What's this? Returning gifts already Hadrian? You haven't even seen it on you and you're trying to throw it away."
"Don't seem so surprised Riddle; I know by now that you've caught on about how I feel about you. This courtship of yours will lead to nowhere."
"On the contrary, I feel that this little relationship of ours will lead somewhere. I believe that this would benefit the both of us."
"Whether you think this would benefit the both of us is trivial, take the gift and return it, or better yet give it someone else. I know that there are hundreds of eager boys and girls willing to become the object of your affections."
"Is that jealousy I hear in your voice, Hadrian?" Tom cooed, leaning closer to the irate Ravenclaw. "You don't have to worry, none of them could compare to you, my precious Queen."
Stiffening at the pet name, Hadrian smoothly packed his school bag and motioned for Ciaran, Cyril and Alastair to rise. "Jealous of what exactly? What do you have to offer that I won't be able to acquire myself? You aren't the only one with many admirers, Riddle."
"Be as that may," Concurred Tom. "None of those little admirers of yours can even dream of competing against me and win."
Striding towards the Great Hall's oak doors, Hadrian turned his head to face Tom, smirking at the narrowed look on the Slytherin's face as azure eyes watched him walk away. "Keep the gift, Riddle, I have no use of it."
With rage flashing in dark eyes, the Slytherin heir leisurely strode back to his house table, clutching the green and silver package tightly in his hands.
"Really now Hadrian, I try to be polite and courteous and this is how you react. Very well, I tried to play by your rules, now it's time for you to experience mine."
-O-O-O-O-
Glaring at the object in his hands, Hadrian ignored the snickering coming from a far too amused Black.
"Well you have to admire his determination, Riddle can be persistent when he wants to be." Ciaran commented, gently taking the box out of the angered Ravenclaw's hands and lifting the object held within.
"Really Hadrian, it truly is a beautiful piece, regardless of the situation. I'm sure you would get a hefty amount of money if you were to sell it." Cyril said, admiring the piece of art held in tan hands.
Cradled in Zabini's hands was a necklace of white gold; shaped into an ouroboros, with the snake's head biting its tail ending resting in the center of the collarbone. The amount of detail on the snake was incredible; each scale was outlined so delicately that it looked like the real skin of a snake. Rubies were embedded into the snake's skull for the eyes; on the back of the necklace was an inscription.
"To my Slytherin Queen?" Alastair asked, raising a well groomed eyebrow, and lifted the card that lied inside the box.
"Yes, that apparently is my little pet name. Sickening isn't it?"
"It could have been worse, nothing was holding him back from calling you something like my little slave or what not." Cyril commented. "Are you going to wear it?"
Retrieving the object from the Zabini heir's hands, Hadrian scowled at the piece of metal. On the back engraved in bold black letters was only one word. With a tightening of slender hands and a flare of malevolent magic later, the metallic serpent was engulfed in black flames.
Through the ebony inferno and the rapidly melting metal you could just make out the only inscription on the jewelry. Etched into the metal were four letters spelling.
"Does that say mine?"
"Sometimes, Alastair, it's best to leave things be and unquestioned, this is one of those times." Cyril answered, cautiously backing away from the enraged Ravenclaw and burning debris.
"So does it?"
Minutes later came a reluctant answer."…. Yes."
"Well…. Riddle better run then."
-O-O-O-O-
Hello! Happy Fourth of July! I missed you guys and I'm extremely sorry that I couldn't update as soon as I could, I had a business training I had to attend and it extended nearly the entire of June. Now that I have time, I'll have time to update A Cruel, Cruel World. Thank you for all your kind reviews, favorites, and follows. This oneshot hints towards some of the events that will take place later on in the story. ENJOY!
-tandhale