A Gathering of Sorts

There were many things that Hadrian found irritating, one thing however that had the ability to infuriate him was a question he couldn't find the answer to. It had been an hour and a half since he had first arrived back at his new abode, and he was due at the Cullen's house in about an hour. And in the time, he had spent in his basement/ library, pouring over the vast books his father had left behind after his demise, he had found nothing but dead ends and false trails. His original suspicions of the family's species were in fact the closest matches, Lych, Veela, and Vampire. However while the Veela could be accounted for the effect Alice seemed to have on him, they did not account for the men in the family, as in the last 300 years there had only been a recorded 3 male veela, all of which were now thoroughly dead. And while Lych looked beautiful in the presence of prey, they also emitted a sense of foreboding that would have set his teeth on edge to counter that ability. Though he was wary, his adrenaline hadn't shot up around them not to mention he had found no trace of magic in the near parts of town, which would have cause a slow and painful demise for the camouflaged Dementor cousin. And that left the last species, Vampire.

The Vampire was an all around interesting race to behold. When the virus had first evolved, it came with immortality, enhanced speed, sight and reflexes, as well as making the victim into a beautiful being, no matter how unsightly they might have been before the 'change'. However it also came with a deadly aversion to sunlight, as well as silver, and fire. Recorded history of the species' evolution only went back around six thousand years, to the first ministry, and while the original qualities of the infection were common knowledge now, it was still unknown how the organism had been able to evolve to a state that those weaknesses were not only lessened but in many cases, completely negated. As of the last text Hadrian had read, a tome from the early 1400's, 200 years before the magical society on a worldwide scale, had effectively split, and ceased contact with most if not all vampires, the race had evidently gotten rid of the weakness to sunlight, and silver. Fire being the only remaining way to thoroughly kill a vampire. However though many of their strengths and weaknesses had changed over the centuries, there characteristics hadn't been altered much at all, they still bore the blood red eye's that would be the one sign that a member of the race was a predator in its heart of hearts.

Hadrian would have attributed the change in eye color to the evolution of the virus, an attempt to hide the monster until it had completed its goal. However he had remembered a discussion with his father he'd had years before when he was but a child.

FLASHBACK-

It was autumn now, another year of study for a nine year old Hadrian. The afternoon had ended some time ago, and now the sun had finished its fall over the horizon and the stars had come out of hiding, he knew he was expected soon. While he was awarded the benefit of lunch in his room, his father demanded that his attendance be in the dining room for dinner, a demand that the young child had no need for challenging. He had just made his way down the stairs and into the rather large hallway towards the dining room, as he approached the door he had started to pick up the sound of voices, standing there against the frame of the large double doors, he listened in. there were only slight murmurings he could make out, two voices, delved in conversation. His father's laughter, another's lighthearted congratulatory comments, and then a farewell, choosing that moment to enter, Hadrian saw the fireplace in the far corner flare up in an angry green, as a pair of red eyes disappeared into the flames. Whoever had been there had retreated out of Riddle Manor.

Turning to his father, his immediate instinct took over, and he jumped back in fear of what he saw. Standing in front of him was undoubtedly his father, the imposing stance that he had made his usual position emitted the all encompassing unease as usual, he wore robes befitting of his station, black embroidered with green collar, covered in silver stitching. Tight across the chest and loose as they past the hips, his mouth curved into his half sneer, half grin that Hadrian had been raised to be wary of, as it neither meant that he was happy or otherwise. However his eyes, once a surprisingly soft, brown, had turned into something resembling the color of blood. Twin pools of violent red stared back at him, his father's gaze softened somewhat when he realized his only child had entered.

His father's stance shifted slightly to a more passive pose and he sat down at the head of the table. Speaking gently to his son "Hadrian, calm yourself my child, you have nothing to fear. Sit." He said as he padded the chair to his left.

The smooth voice of his father did have a somewhat calming effect on him, as he stood straighter and headed towards his customary chair, to the left of his father, a position showing that while he stood quite high in regard to the man, he did not have the seat of second in line, reserved for the right side chair. He felt Nagini, his father's familiar, a large, green reticulated python, roughly twelve feet long and as thick as a man's thigh, caress his leg fondly and the continue on, no doubt to curl up in this fathers lap. Serpents, Nagini specifically, had always captivated Hadrian's interest, his father stated once that Nagini was a hybrid of four different snakes gathered into one, four poisons and four different sets of fangs in only one body.

As he sat, he struggled to hold back the question that was screaming in his mind. Luckily his father took pity on him and answered it anyway.

"It is quite obvious that you have noticed my eye's Hadrian, fear not, I have made the change myself." Is smile was still in place as he clapped his hands and the food appeared on the plates that were placed in front of them.

While his father went about placing what he wanted to enjoy for dinner in front of him, Hadrian sat stock still, completely enamored with the glowing red orbs that now looked over the dinner carelessly.

"For what reason father, if I may ask?"

The man's eyes turned back to the boy, once again penetrating the soul with his gaze.

"Fear Hadrian, can be a very powerful tool. It can turn friends against friends, brother against sister, and I have even witnessed it making parents throw their children at the feet of there enemies if only to spare their own life. I believe I've explained our family's standing in the world." At Hadrian's nod he continued.

"Because I am a leader, I need to use all tools available to me, in order to reach my goal. Fear has always been a tool of mine, however this new change will bring about a new benefit, and these eyes possess the ability to shake the courage of men and women, with just a look, by simply preying on a human's natural response to something deemed dangerous. Are you aware of the possibilities that could allow on a battle field, as well as politics my son?"

Indeed Hadrian did, his father's already fearsome reputation was enough to make some foe's turn tail, imagining running upon what you believe is a man with a terror filled history and finding a beast in his place could be enough in certain situations to win battles, on the field or in a room, based solely on intimidation.

Nodding his head, he voiced another question that came to mind.

"Father, who was it that was here before I entered, if I may ask?"

Hadrian had always been encouraged to ask after his studies, however asking after his father's involvements was something the man very rarely tolerated, however he couldn't keep himself from asking, his curiosity had shown itself through once again.

His Father took another long look at him, as if judging the pro's and con's of telling a nine year old of someone under his employ, even if the boy was his son, he was still a gullible child. Placing his cup of brandy down, he decided that in this instance it would be allowed.

"Tell me Hadrian what do you know of vampire's?"

The question noticeably caught Hadrian off guard as he almost made a fool of himself by choking on his juice. Tilting his head in question, he answered with what he had read during his studies.

"Immortal, as long as they feed, cold, red eyes, enhanced reflexes, as well as strength and speed, and increased senses. I know of the evolution of the virus somewhat however Bartemius hasn't allowed me to delve as deep into the subject as I would like. In terms of their separation from the rest of the magical world, I only know of the 'Treaty of Juno' when the first English ministry demanded the race leave all magical societies under the crown or be terminated as a whole. Why do you ask father?"

Smiling at the boy, the Dark Lord continued. "Very good Hadrian, you mentioned that you were aware of the evolution of their illness, however did you know that vampires didn't originally gain a blood red color in their eyes? It manifested itself as part of the evolution, as with all creatures human and otherwise, there are always weaknesses, something to counteract their strengths in some form, no matter how insignificant. With humans who are generally stronger in numbers, and ability compared to most animals, however most are clumsy and due to our conscience we are able to succumb to beliefs that can lead many to become ignorant, the eye's came about as a way of warning their prey that they were in the midst of a monster. And warn them they did, soon enough the color became a way of identifying all vampires, and it allowed the original ministry to gather the first coven's in order to banish them."

"The man who was he before, was the only vampire I have ever met, he goes by the name of Sanguini. As he is only around 200 years old he is treated as somewhat of a child in his coven, I believe they go by the name Volturi." Waving his hand in the air, as if describing something completely unimportant to him. "He gave me the idea during a discussion we had the first time we met, before you were born. He stated that as a fundamentally different human than many others, that I should acquire something that would cause the fear of a natural predator to my enemies, I agreed, it was only recently I decided to go ahead with the change to my eyes, and I have to say I look forward to the reactions I might be receiving soon." He grinned at that, the thought of causing that old fool, and his merry band of blood traitors, and mudbloods to cringe away in fright from the vary sight of him, simply delighted the man.

Hadrian was quite glad now that he had the foresight to wait out the conversation his father had, before entering the room. Being an adult wizard with years of magic, both dark and light under his belt, his father was an imposing foe to be sure. Himself however was only nine and while he had studied more magic's than most his age, he had yet to receive his wand, and could only use the barest of wandless magic, no matter how gifted he was for his magic or his impressive mind, if a vampire had set its sights on him, that would be the end of young Riddle.

Turning back to his meal as he noticed his father had done, Hadrian decided that his best options at the current time were to stay as far away from a vampire as possible, and maybe try to find out how his father had altered his eyes. Though it did indeed frighten him at first, he rather liked the way they glowed, if he looked close enough he could see that the iris's themselves were moving very slowly, like waves, twin pools of power.

"Hadrian, after dinner I have instructed Barty to bring you a few tomes dealing with the mind from my library, I expect you to have finished them by the day after tomorrow, as we will begin instruction on the topics next week."

Nodding his head in assent, Hadrian finished his meal silently next to his father.

END FLASHBACK-

That vampire, Sanguini, his father mentioned he was only around 200 years old. His eyes had still retained the blood red color, it wasn't possible that the evolutional process had filtered out that intimidating factor yet. That left the question he had not found the answer to, just what were the Cullen's? Was it really possible that they were just extraordinary humans?

No, he wouldn't doubt his intuition, not when it had never failed him before. Hadrian looked up to the large ornate grandfather clock in the far corner of the library, noticing that he only had about thirty minutes until he needed to travel to a house filled with creatures he hadn't identified, and of who he knew next to nothing of their abilities. It was at this moment he cursed that fact he had stopped his passive legilimency before he had the chance to focus on the family, he would have gladly barred with the headache as long as he was aware of the situation he was heading into. Grabbing his wand, feeling the worn wood between his fingertips, tucking it into his sleeve he stood and headed upstairs to get dressed.

Once he got to the second floor of his house, he strode thorough his rather spacious bedroom and into his washroom, waving his hand his clothes came off by themselves, his coat unbuttoning and hanging itself onto the hook on the door, his shirt following shortly after. Standing in front of the sink he took the chance to look his face over. Pale, creamy skin, covered high cheek bones, dull (in his opinion) green eye's, stared back at him, before he decided to remove the disillusionment charm he had put over his them, to hide the glow they held normally, a ritual he had learned from his father. He remembered once again how he had been enamored by the eyes his father had gained, it hadn't been until his fifth year in Hogwarts before he had pried the ritual from him. He could have chosen anything he wanted for his eyes, the ritual itself was a form of metamorphic magic, allowing him to change color permanently, as well as enhance the vision to see clearly in all fringes of the light spectrum. He decided however that instead of making his eyes different, he chose to enhance the eyes he already possessed, his mothers eyes, the only thing he ever received from her. Whoever she was.

Waving his hand over his face, two pools of emerald bloomed into existence, glowing with power. Taking only a few seconds to admire them, he re-cast the disillusionment charm, his eyes continuing onto the one blemish on his face. One large jagged scar that ran down from the bottom of his forehead, over his left eye, and stopping halfway down the bridge of his nose. That one scar held more pain in it than any other event of his life, sighing quietly to himself he decided he had better things to do then remember that night. Stepping away from the mirror and removing his remaining clothes, he stepped into the shower, water turning on automatically to a perfect temperature. He stood there, just staring at the ceiling. For the second time that day he allowed himself to drift away, hiding all his worries, all his painful memories of the past.

After his shower he had gotten dressed, the night air of Forks, Washington was still bitingly cold, as it was still mid January. Donning a grey button down jacket, with a pair of black jeans, and throwing an old green and grey scarf around his neck, throwing on his glasses last. As his wards made it impossible to apparate into or out of his home he would need to retreat to the yard in order to leave. He snatched up the small galleon that he had made into a port key that had been keyed into the wards and would allow him reentry into his abode, in the case of an emergency. He walked down the stairs and through the hallway towards the front door. Exiting his home, he walked out past the wards and spun on his heel, he apparated into a soft displacement of air.

He appeared in the middle of a long stretch of road once again surrounded by forest. To his left, in between a copse of trees laid a dirt road. He heaved a long sigh, this was why he disliked apperating to a place he had never been to before, he had taken the address and had adjusted his landing near the residence. Deciding to steel himself for whatever may await him in this very foolish meeting, he started walking down the dirt road. There were no other sounds other than the crunch of his feet on earth as he walked. No birds chirping, no squirrels running along the leaf covered ground. Just his feet stomping along in the darkening forest.

Why must this family be so alluring, why must Alice be so…enticing."

This entire situation was very unnerving for the simple fact that Hadrian had little to no idea what awaited him on this night, a situation that he had spent the entirety of his life hoping to avoid. Back 'then', when he was always spying, always knowing the ins and outs of the current goings on around him, a situation like this would have been impossibility. He never would have run along without knowing as much as he could about the situation before hand, he left that to the Gryffindors.

But this family, this woman held a sort of sway over his being that he had never felt before. It was more than the pull of a Veela, he had preformed the rituals to avoid such an effect. These beings, Alice, something about them about her made him want to know more, made him drive forward along a blind path that lead to an uncertain ending. He would just have to be ready, be prepared to face what may. Even if they were some kind of creature he had never encountered before, if they moved to attack… well he would just have to show them how a gentleman wizard of his caliber would level anything that threatened him.

Sigh, his paranoia was returning, that was never a good sign. He had no reason to be as anxious as he was, walking along a dirt path, alone in the middle of an unfamiliar area, at dusk. He had felt no ill will permeating from the Cullen's, and Alice had practically radiated open willingness to know more about him. Alice. With her cropped hair, and her large golden eyes, and her pale lips. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he looked ahead where he could now see the lights of a rather large house ahead, a two story modern stylized abode, with more glass than wood covering the outside, he wondered why they would allow such a breach of privacy, even out here surrounded by forest anyone could walk up and peep in on the family that left most people speechless due to their beauty.

He walked the final few feet, up the small set of stairs lining up to the front door, took one last second to calm his thoughts, and take a breath. Raising his hand he gave a soft knock at the door, and questioned once again why he had chosen Forks Washington as his new home away from home. Interesting though it was.

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I couldn't control my anxiety, I was experiencing something that was almost entirely foreign to me, nervousness. I was usually always prepared for what was coming, my visions allowing me to see ahead and pick the best course of action. But with this it was different, with HIM it was different, something about him blocked out my vision, as well as Edward's gift. The possibility that Esme had made me aware of caused me to almost leap for joy! That this human, that Hadrian might be my mate, someone to spend eternity with, it was such an invigorating idea.

He was coming, in fact he should be on is way over now, I needed to hurry. Looking myself over one last time in my mirror I studied my outfit for any imperfections. I wore a cute gray tiered floral pattern empire waist dress and paired it with black leggings and a long sleeve black lace sweater, I reached out to grab the last piece of my ensemble, a small grey choker with the Cullen crest on a small medallion that was attached to it. Taking a breath I stood and flashed down to the living room where everyone else had already gathered, the only one who knew about my hopes for Hadrian, outside of Carlisle and Esme, was Edward. Carlisle's office being soundproof allowed some privacy in the matter but Edward could read my mind and I didn't really want to hide anything from my closest sibling anyway.

I saw him look over at me and smile, showing that he would offer any support he could. Having found his own mate thirty years before, he knew that I had become somewhat lonely when everyone else was able to be with their one and only. He also knew what it was like to meet your mate for the first time and the experience that takes over the body, however with Hadrian being a human, no one really knew what to expect. I didn't want to get my hopes up just to have them slammed down but I really couldn't help thinking that I might have found the one person I had always been searching for.

Edward flashed over to me and wrapped a comforting arm around my shoulders, it was nice sometimes to know that someone knew what I was thinking without me having to tell the whole world. I looked around the room to see what everyone else was doing.

Emmett was playing one of his game systems, with Rosalie sitting on the couch behind him reading a magazine, her legs wrapped over his shoulders. I appreciated them just being in the house for this dinner, Emmett could care less about what was going on around him as long as his family was safe, Rosalie on the other hand absolutely hated the fact that I had invited a human into our midst. She was worried that this Hadrian would find out our secret, and that we would somehow hurt or kill him, or any other ideas that popped into her blonde skull. I could respect her worry, but I wish that she could respect my need to know more about this boy, out of everyone else she was the only one who flat out rejected the idea of him coming over for dinner, using everything she could she tried to get the others to change their minds. From stating the obvious dangers of having a human around, all the way to complaining about how we would have to eat human food that admittedly smelled like human refuge to us. In the end she had decided that if she couldn't have everyone on her side, then she would just stay, her reasoning being if the human found out anything about them, she would immediately rip his head from his shoulders. While I didn't know how I would react if she tried to follow through with this, I knew that I wouldn't let any harm come to Hadrian. Edwards arm, still draped over my shoulders, gave a quick squeeze, I guess he agreed with me.

I looked up at the clock, it was 6:45, he would be here any minute, I was quite thankful for the fact that I didn't need to breath, mainly because I knew if I was human I would most likely be hyperventilating right now. Suddenly everyone stopped what they were doing and looked to the window facing the front of the house, I could hear it and I knew everyone else could as well. A heartbeat and it was coming closer to us. That had to be him, I walked up to the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of him, the others stayed where they were, which I was thankful for, who knows how he would react if he saw my entire family staring at him from inside.

I was surprised however, I expected to see head lights, flashing among the trees, showing that a car was coming up the winding driveway, however I saw none. The sound of his heart was coming closer though, just very slowly. I stood there staring out the window just waiting for something to show itself. And I was rewarded, he came out from under the tree cover, walking for some reason, he was dressed in a grey button down jacket, with a pair of black jeans, and a green and grey scarf around his neck, fashionable if I say so myself. His glasses tried to hide those emeralds he called eyes behind them but I still saw them clearly even in the darkening light. He was staring ahead with a resolute look on his face, I couldn't help but think it made him more handsome when he looked like that, like he was ready for anything.

He walked up to the door and everyone immediately gathered around, as I walked up to the door. I heard him take a long, deep breath and then heard the knock at the door, throwing on my biggest smile, I opened it and was greeted with the face of the boy driving my mind into a tailspin for the last day, "has it really only been a day since I met him?"

"Hello Alice, how are you tonight?"

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A.N. im sorry it's taken a little longer to get this out than normal, I was kicked out of my house and had no access to my computer, but I fought a dragon and won the prize of returning to my home lol anyway I was able to get this out in 4 days so I hope you all like it. You can thank my friend Ashley for reminding me that I have to write everyday for a week lol, I know she's reading this now and is probably laughing lol. Anyway guys tell me what you think and please let me know what you would like to see, ideas are always welcome, and if they are agreeable, or I can use them in my plot I might include them lol so please remember review, and criticize,(nicely please) see you in a week or so!