Chapter 2

"Hadrian Dawson. What do you know about the 'Militia'?"


It was a vague question. Hadrian wasn't sure what Snape was implying with his seemingly innocent question. Was the Militia an organization? Was it an object? Was Hadrian expected to know about it? And if he was, then why wasn't he aware of it? Because Hadrian knew what the word meant, as a military regiment, but that was clearly not the answer Snape was looking for.

So Hadrian went with the safest route available, keeping his voice level and unassuming.

"I am sure that I do not know what you are talking about."

Snape's eyes narrowed very slightly on Hadrian before he shot a glance at Malfoy; the blonde shook his head. Snape's lips tightened minutely with what Hadrian thought was frustration—it was gone too fast, there was no way to be certain—before his whole expression relaxed in one swift moment. He walked over to the middle of his room and sat down gracefully on one of the couches which surrounded a small fireplace. His manner screamed tiredness to Hadrian, who felt the terrifying shock from being hurled into such a strange position start to dissipate and his innate curiosity rise to the surface; the situation was too strange and unusual for him to be sure what was right and what was expected, but he enjoyed the challenge.

Snape nodded to them. "Please. Come sit."

Malfoy immediately complied, walking over and letting his body drop into the larger couch directly in front of Snape's; his posture remained stiff. Hadrian hesitated for a moment before complying as well, sitting in the space next to Malfoy on the couch.

There was an uncomfortable silence which Hadrian used to study Snape's manner. He didn't even try to be subtle about it, even when he was painfully aware of Malfoy's own inspection. After a few seconds, Snape's gaze trailed to Hadrian and locked onto his eyes forcefully. Hadrian straightened instinctively, clutching his bookbag closer to his side. His grip on his wand, which he'd kept a tight hold of since entering the room, loosened lightly, but he kept it within his grasp.

"You are rather advanced in your Animagus transformation, Hadrian," Snape said, his expression revealing nothing as he spoke.

Hadrian blanched. He'd been sure that no one knew of his study in the Animagus transformation; he had never told anyone, and he took the outmost care to make sure that at any instant when he was either practicing or studying, there were privacy wards and silencing spells all around him. Clearly Snape knew, as he had just mentioned the fact, but the question was, how?

Hadrian could only guess at why Snape had revealed this tidbit of information to him, but he was fairly certain that it was a, indirect sort of invitation. To what, Hadrian was not yet sure. He made no motion to speak. Snape's expression turned vaguely unfocused as his eyes traveled to the fireplace, where a vivid yellow flame danced flamboyantly.

"The magical world is a vast place, as I am sure you are aware." Hadrian nodded lightly, not knowing if Snape would see the gesture, and waiting to see where he would go with the seemingly random comment. "The reaches of magic's power are unknown, even to those who have dedicated their entire lives to the study and exploration of it; some have even dedicated various generations to the task, and yet failed.

However, every once in a blue moon, a Wizard is born who is extraordinarily gifted and intelligent; this Wizard manages to uncover secrets about magic which have lain hidden for millennia and bring them to light." Snape brought a hand to his neck and touched a spot above his collarbone lightly. "The knowledge this Wizard acquires is, understandably, guarded very jealously."

Hadrian listened, interested despite himself. He was not sure where this was going, but he had time, if nothing else; besides, people always revealed part of themselves when they talked, and this was a rare opportunity to learn from the usually fortressed Potions Master.

The flames crackled.

"I have such knowledge," Snape said quietly, his eyes shining with the firelight. Hadrian felt a chill run up his spine. "Not acquired by myself, of course, but extended to me by an…acquaintance. It is not much, I will grant, but what I do know are facts about magic that are largely ignored or regarded as uncontrollable, unknowable factors. They are not, evidently, but the Wizarding world's lack of understanding in such matters, gives to the one who is in a position similar to my own," he turned sharp eyes to Hadrian, "a huge, significant advantage."

Hadrian knew what Snape was not saying. He was not sure he liked it, but the insinuation called to him like a siren.

"What do you want from me?" he said, swiftly deciding it was best to have the obscurities laid out in the open rather than drifting around in the background. He was not feeling particularly mentally capable at the moment; the lingering shock was still too great, and he had no footholds with which to be able to stand alongside Snape in this unknown game the man was playing. He did not know the rules, nor the aim of this conversation; he also had no leverage on the players, and as such could not hope to even attempt to play. He was too unprepared to properly dance, and so he dropped the more carefully constructed mask, replacing it with a much simpler, closed-off replica.

Malfoy turned to him. "We would like to offer you information." His voice was colder and deeper than Hadrian had ever heard it. He turned to the Malfoy heir, feeling shock run through him as he took in the blonde's hard, icy eyes. He'd never seen Malfoy, or any other student, hold such a cold, emotionless gaze in his eyes. It wasn't perfect, as he could detect the uncertainty and nervousness at the edges, but it was good enough to rival his own mask's limits. The blonde's veil simply focused on exuding coldness, rather than meekness.

"We know things about magic, about people; about you, things which are interesting, to say the least." Malfoy smiled thinly. "We ask in return that you stay and listen. Of course, we will first make a proposition." Malfoy's eyes swept to Snape, but continued to address Hadrian. "What you choose is your decision to make, and we will respect that; we ask only that you think about it very carefully."

Hadrian looked between them. Snape's eyes were trained on him, while Malfoy's were trained on Snape.

"If I were to decline the offer?"

He wasn't planning to decline; truthfully, he wasn't planning on anything at the moment, since he had so little information it bordered on not having any at all. However, he wanted to know if they would insist on keeping him here through the use of force if necessary. There wasn't anything to blackmail him with, not really; they'd clearly been aware of the mask since before –although how, Hadrian still needed to find out—and since they hadn't told anyone about it, then there had to be an ulterior motive keeping their mouths shut.

And what information did they have? He was largely interested on what they could tell him about magic; in fact, it had taken an embarrassingly large amount of his will-power not to agree to the arrangement instantly, and he aknowledged the fact with some annoyance.

Malfoy's injection on knowing information about him, intended undoubtedly as a bonus to what Snape was offering, also called his attention. Granted, it could be facts that Hadrian had already known which would not serve him in the least, but the fact that they had presented the knowledge of information as the prime bait testified to the fact that they knew just how much he craved knowledge. It had been a while since he'd felt like someone saw through him at all, and as his gaze met with Snape's again, he felt some of his incredulity and stubbornness against the proposal crumble.

"If you were to decline right now, we would be most disappointed. However," here Snape's eyes shone with light amusement, "we would not force you to stay here against your will."

Hadrian felt another, lighter current of shock run through him at the strange easiness which Snape seemed to feel around him, even as he relaxed minutely at the raven's assurance of liberty. Granted, Malfoy seemed exceedingly tense, judging by his posture and way the blonde's eyes kept on focusing on him with a harshness that seemed unnecessary to Hadrian. There was clearly something they knew that he didn't, and until such a time as he did, then he could not entirely bend to what they were asking. He wasn't even sure what they were asking, anyways. He narrowed his eyes.

"I must admit that I am much too interested on what you may be willing to say, to leave just yet," Hadrian said, his voice slow as he measured each word carefully. "What are your conditions?"

Snape's lips twitched in what could possibly be construed as a smirk. "While I would be most willing to trust you on a promise…"

"…I would not." Malfoy cut in sharply, his voice as hard as his eyes as he glared at Snape. Snape simply gazed back, and once again Hadrian had the impression of being left out of a conversation. He did, however, sometimes catch an expression flashing through their eyes.

Anger, resentment, sadness. Surprise, shock. Amusement.

Knowing. Severity, sternness. Affection, fondness; love.

Hadrian drew his eyes away from Snape's rapidly, feeling his cheeks burn as they hadn't in years. He felt as if he had accidentally peeked in through a neighbors' window and caught a couple having sex. The expression which had travelled through Malfoy's and Snape's gazes was not as heated, but felt even more intimate than such an action would.

Malfoy turned to Hadrian then; his gaze was softer than before even as his voice did not change, clearly misconstruing Hadrian's blush as hurt over their doubt of him. Hadrian did not mind, pushing the color forcefully from his cheeks as he felt a slight disgust in his incapability to mask the reaction. He attributed it to the unusualness of the entire situation.

"Do understand, Dawson. What we are offering you is not something that anyone ever usually finds out about in the course of a lifetime…or several. You are not dim enough to not at least partially comprehend the gravity of this fact. Regardless of your current intentions," and here he shot a suspicious glare at Hadrian, although not as viciously as before, "we cannot know what will happen to you in the future. Your opinions might change; you may be forced through torture or Veritaserum to reveal all you know; you may just feel angry, spiteful." He shrugged. "An Unbreakable Vow is the least we can ask of you, if you are willing to agree to join us; the Militia."

Hadrian felt the change in atmosphere almost immediately as the words came out of Malfoy's mouth. Finally, the real question was out. Would he join the Militia?

Despite the clear invitation, Hadrian was not particularly convinced to their arguments of why he was being asked to join, as opposed to any other student. There were countless others which he'd have thought would be more obvious candidates, purebloods with more money, more connections. Even if he considered himself to be among the best, both in intelligence and cunning, he was relatively sure that neither Malfoy nor Snape were aware of the extent of his abilities. His academic records were mediocre at best, and he stayed away from any and all physical activities which would have revealed any of his other qualities, such as the Dueling Club and Quidditch.

He considered that they were also asking other students to join, and maybe he wasn't even their first choice. However, he quickly discarded the notion. Snape looked too uncomfortable, and Malfoy too tense, for this to be a usual occurrence.

"Is there any particular reason that I am being selected?"

Malfoy's laugh was not loud, but in the room's stubborn silence it seemed to expand and fill Hadrian's ears. He would have felt offended, except that the laugh was more bitter than derisive.

"That," the blonde said after a moment, "we cannot tell you; unless, of course, you agree to join."

Hadrian bit his lip; he didn't appreciate the way that both Malfoy and Snape seemed to be toying with him by throwing the bait and then pulling it back if he even so much as twitched in response, and he narrowed his eyes on the blonde. They didn't appear to be joking about their proposal, but the way they refused to tell him anything did not sit well with him at all.

"How do I know you will not hurt me after I accept the Vow, or even through it? The amount of trust you are expecting me to extend to you is ridiculous, if I may say so, considering how much I trust you at all. "

Snape considered his words, looking contrite and slightly worried. "I cannot say much beyond that this is a most unusual circumstance. I...swear to you, on my magic, that neither I nor Draco are planning on using the Vow to hurt you; not that we could, since you are always at liberty to refuse the contract. We will also not attack you after you accept it. As for the trust…I cannot say anything to that except," he paused, shooting a glance at Malfoy. "Except that it really is quite ridiculous."

Despite the mediocre reassurance, Hadrian had to hold back his amusement at the comment, allowing himself to observe both males further. They both looked exceedingly uncomfortable, Snape attempting to hide it even as the worry shone through, Malfoy not so much as his muscles ran noticeably tense down his back. He wondered if this was due to him, particularly, or because of the overall situation.

What had he to gain from this? What had he to lose? Snape had sworn on his magic they wouldn't hurt him –Hadrian was aware of the consequences of breaking such a vow, and he was sure Snape was as well; very unpleasant, to say the least – and he did indeed have the option of refusing the Vow at any point. He took a deep breath before letting it out slowly.

"Very well. I agree."

Malfoy nodded, looking pleased. Snape, also, seemed rather contended with Hadrian's decision. Neither of them emanated any sense of danger to Hadrian over the possible victory, but this did not mean anything to Hadrian anymore; he'd seen first-hand the kind of 360° turn that they could portray with their personalities, and so he could not trust his own opinions fully around them. He could only trust that they would not attempt to side-step their promises, and they would not use the Vow as a weapon.

Snape and Malfoy stood then, and Hadrian stood along with them. He let go of his bookbag, which had been shielding his wand; it fell on the couch. He held his wand near his leg, non-threateningly; regardless of their words, he did not feel secure enough to become defenseless around them. He felt both Snape and Malfoy tense slightly as they saw his wand, but he knew they would not deprive him of having it. It would be ridiculous of them to ask him to leave it, when it was clear that he held no particular confidence in them. Despite their reassurance, he still did not trust them very much. He knew that it was not likely they would attack him anyways, due to their presence in Hogwarts, but it never hurt to take an extra precaution. Besides there was no need to pretend innocence. All of them were aware of the situation.

Malfoy stretched out his hand, and Hadrian took it firmly after only a moment of hesitation. Snape walked over and stood in front of them. He took out his wand and placed it over their entwined hands. Malfoy cleared his throat lightly before beginning.

"Do you, Hadrian Dawson, agree to never reveal to anyone what we speak of in this room, for the next five hours, unless that person is already part of the Militia?" Malfoy's voice was strong as he dictated the first term.

It certainly contains more people than I thought, it this is the first condition. I wonder how I will know who is and who is not part? Regardless, this condition is slightly troubling, but not at all unexpected. He gripped his wand a little harder.

"I do."

A fiery tendril of magic erupted from Snape's wand, shining bright red as it twirled around their hands. Hadrian felt his magic respond, bonding to it, pulling part of it to it. He shivered unwillingly, knowing Malfoy would feel it, but feeling slightly reassured when he felt the blonde shiver a little as he, too, felt the magic pull at him.

"Do you, Hadrian Dawson, agree to never willingly harm anyone who is part of the Militia, unless for any reason they harm you first?"

Hadrian faltered minutely.

I'm not sure I should be agreeing to this particular condition. I don't know what the Militia is, or who they are, or what they do. They did specify that I may do so in self-defense, which is rather thoughtful of them, he thought a bit sarcastically. I do still have one more condition which I can use to refuse the entire ordeal. At the very least, I should find out about them all.

"I do."

A second tendril erupted from the wand, this time shining bright green.

Avada Kedavra green, Hadrian's mind quipped. He shook the thought away.

Malfoy paused, and Hadrian had the sudden impression that, just as the first two conditions of the Vow were standardized procedure for the joining of the Militia, this third one was left open so that the person saying the conditions could tailor it to be specific to the one under the vow. He felt a trickle of nervousness run down his back as Malfoy's silence stretched.

"Do you, Hadrian Dawson…" Malfoy's voice ran out as the blonde hesitated minutely, before visibly gathering himself and continuing. "…agree to serve with the outmost faithfulness, from now until such a time as you are entirely unable to, the interest of the Militia, and as such, it's Lord?"

Hadrian noticeably hesitated this time.

This is it. There is no known way to reverse an Unbreakable Vow. What I say at this point will decide what will happen.

The outmost faithfulness? What defines such a thing? And who is the Lord? He bit his lip. They are members as well; they too must have gone through such a Vow as this, even though I cannot say so with certainty. Regardless, I must take into consideration that this last condition is slightly more binding than the other two, which are really superficial at best. The first condition is almost irrelevant; it will be concluded within 5 hours, or when I leave the room. The second condition insures the Militia will not be attacked by a member, something I was not planning to do unless one of them attack me, in which case I am allowed to attack back. He felt a sense of realization spring in his mind. The conditions are slack, at best. Even so, they do maintain a certain order, through the fact that they draw certain firm lines which cannot be broken. The third condition is much more flexible. What does it mean to be faithful? Usually any Vows hold onto the meanings which the one agreeing to the conditions has. Therefore, unless stated very clearly, they are extremely flexible.

Even so, is it worth what this may bring about? Even unwillingly breaking the Vow will bring about my death. It is highly dangerous.

He looked at his arm, at the two tendrils of magic bonding his and Malfoy's hands together. Bonding their and Snape's magic together.

I can still back out.

A strange nudge in his mind made him look up.

He suddenly had the overwhelming feeling, as he looked up into Snape's anxious gaze, that if he declined now, he would never be asked again. In fact, he realized, he'd probably be Obliviated of all this. He'd never learn of this strange, evidently powerful organization that Malfoy and Snape talked about with such awe; the promise of knowledge, information and power which was extended to him would retract to vanish forever if he declined now.

And, with a slightly nauseous feeling, he realized that the thought of forgetting all of this made him more terrified than the thought of loosing some of his freedom.

And so he made his choice.

"I do."

The last tendril of magic, shining a bright blue, ran from Snape's wand, interlocking with the other two and completing the Vow. The three tendrils suddenly flashed white before sinking into Hadrian's skin and vanishing. Hadrian felt an answering pull from his own magic before it, too, receded.

The sudden lack of magical warmth caused something to start in his brain. He suddenly drew his hand from Malfoy's as if burned, taking a deep breath as he clutched the hand close to his chest.

What have I done?

What have I done.

Malfoy stood silently, watching Hadrian's actions. Snape took a step towards him, stretching a hand and placing it carefully on Hadrian's shoulder. Hadrian flinched lightly at the tentative contact.

"You did what was right, Hadrian."

Hadrian turned wild eyes on Snape.

"I don't know what I did. How can you say I did the right thing when I have no idea what I just did! I could have been signing my own death warranty and I did it just because I could!" He was shouting by now, but he didn't care. He knew that there were silencing and privacy spells around Snape's quarters, so he did know he would not be overheard.

The earlier assurance with which he'd convinced himself to agree to the Vow had weakened as soon as he'd felt the magic snap into place. His mind swirled, trying to organize his suddenly disarrayed thoughts. He wasn't even sure where the sudden panic was springing from, only that he was suddenly aware that he'd crossed a Cannot Return line. It was a fearful, gut reaction which he tried to quell as harshly as he could as soon as he realized it was mostly unsupported, but it took him a few moments to gain back a semblance of control.

"You did what was needed," Malfoy said, his low, harsh voice lending Hadrian an effective focus point as he regained control over his thoughts. He hadn't lost control in such a way in years, and it distressed and annoyed him that even after months of training in mastering his feelings, he still had such weakness. "Even if you do not know what the Militia is, you were drawn to it by our proposition and by your own reasons. No one who was not suited for the Militia has ever agreed to the Vow as you have. All who are part are presented with the same choice, if perhaps with different motivations – Severus and I included – and you made the necessary one. We did not just go up to you because you were the closest person available, but because we saw in you potential. You were selected, singled out. Do not underestimate us, Dawson."

Hadrian clenched his wand beside him, tightly leashing the anger suddenly lashing inside him when his curiosity was not immediately satisfied. "Then why? I completed the Vow, so now explain." His voice was not loud, but it was tinged with dangerous iciness.

Malfoy eyed him tensely, sitting down the sofa he'd been occupying previously without taking his eyes off Hadrian. Snape withdrew his hand from Hadrian's shoulder and went to sit on the couch. Hadrian walked over and, hesitating for only a moment, took his seat next to Malfoy. There was a strained silence for a while before Snape spoke.

"I was the first to notice. I would like to say that I would have figured it out if you had not…slipped as you did, when I called you into my class due to that unexpectedly clever answer in class. I am sure you remember."

Hadrian nodded, thinking back to that day with a twitch of uneasiness as his annoyance dimmed somewhat; as the initial shock faded, he was once again in control of his emotions and thoughts. The situation wasn't optimal, certainly, but he wasn't trapped with no escape either.

"The excuse you gave was pathetic at best," Snape said, his mouth twirling in the first smile Hadrian had seen clearly, although it was gone quickly. "I continued to watch you. I soon extended to Draco my own suspicions; he expressed certain…skepticism of my analysis, but agreed to watch you as well." Snape shrugged. "It was not easy, I will grant. You hide well. But after quite a few months of observation, we came to the shared conclusion that you…exceeded expectations. Once this became clear, we began to discuss the issue of whether or not to introduce you to the Militia."

Malfoy shifted beside Hadrian, drawing the brunette's attention. "I was the one to actually suggest it." He seemed rather uncomfortable at the admission, although the hostility towards him had dimmed somewhat. Hadrian wondered if this was because the blonde thought Hadrian would not believe him, or because he was uncomfortable expressing anything other than dislike to him. "Severus was contended to simply watch you develop, but I figured your numerous abilities, especially in the art of deception, would be quite beneficial to us; more so if you were to join as soon as possible. I proposed to bring you here today to see what would become of the Vow." The blonde nodded to him. "I am pleased to see I did not miscalculate."

Hadrian frowned lightly at the wording. What other abilities were they aware of? "How long have you been watching me for?"

"I've been watching you for about 2 years and a half. Draco, 2 years," Snape said, nonchalantly. Hadrian's eyes widened.

He felt vaguely sick that they'd been able to watch him so closely without his being aware of it. Sure, he'd caught Snape's gaze sometimes, and Malfoy's at points, but he'd dismissed them easily and without even truly taking what it meant into consideration. It made him rather nauseous and decidedly apprehensive over what else he could have missed.

Snape seemed to sense his uneasiness.

"Do not stress, Hadrian. No one else, as far as we can tell, is aware of your mask." He made a small gesture to indicate that they would talk about it later at greater length. "We are specialized in the art of observing. That is one of our main roles in the Militia. Even then, if took us 1 year and a half to really see past your mask, and then another half a year to properly plan out our deception. You may be sure that no one else in this school, be it teacher or student, is either aware of your capabilities or is at a level to match them."

Except for you two, clearly. And on what authority can they claim that no one else is aware? There are several other wizards who are certainly powerful enough to get away with it, with none of them any the wiser. "What about Dumbledore?"

The change was immediate. Snape's bemused expression suddenly became closed off, and Malfoy scowled fiercely. Hadrian took a step back, suddenly wary.

"That old fool knows much less than he would like to pretend he does," Malfoy snapped. "He's been trying to catch, out of the school population, who it is that the Militia are. He had thus far been unsuccessful. He has not caught out your own acting, either." Malfoy's eyes were unreadable and dark. "You would know if he had."

"Dumbledore is certainly a force to be reckoned with," Snape said, his eyes lightly reproachful as he looked at Malfoy. "But Draco is correct. If he were aware of us, or of you, you would most certainly know by now."

Hadrian was not entirely convinced.

"How are you so sure you'd know?"

Snape's eyes turned to him, cold as Hadrian had never seen them.

"You'd be dead."