Chapter 10

The next day the boys were returned to Hogwarts.

His magic realising he was out of danger had allowed Harry out of his Safe box late last night. He was pissed off and impatient to demand answers from Salazar. He had had no control on his surroundings the feeling of being on automatic pilot had not settled well with him.

As they walked in silence up to the castle, Harry paused when he saw James. He gave a firm squeeze to his friend's shoulders and left them. Severus frowned but Lucius just shook his head at him and motioned for him to continue walking. He wanted to assure Narcissa he was fine.

Unfortunately they were stopped by their Headmaster.

"Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Snape" he greeted them gravely. "Headmaster" they answered politely and walked straight on into the dungeons. Albus shook his head sadly but was relieved to see they were at least alive, he made his way back into his office thinking that maybe he could turn the boys yet.

(A/N just to prevent confusion; Dumbledore is indeed not aware that Hadrian was with them)

Harry walked up to James and waited for the other to start speaking first. "I suppose I owe you an apology" he said. Harry nodded and said. "I suppose I owe you one as well" At the confused expression he went to clarify "For calling you… you-know-what. I wasn't really myself having that fever and all but you look like him as far as I can remember him. He died a long time ago" "I'm sorry" James repeated more sincerely this time.

"Don't be" Harry shrugged "All life comes to an end" he finished.

"Funny, for a moment I actually believed we could be… you know" James admitted.

Harry closed his eyes. 'I wish I could tell you' he thought.

"Prongs!"

Both boys turned to see Sirius running towards them.

Out of breath he bent over to lean on his knees a moment before standing straight his face flushed.

Only now noticing Hadrian he sent suspicious looks between the two.

James stepped forward shaking his head and pulled the boy along with him leaving Harry alone.

The Gryffindor looked up to the sky, closed his eyes and sighed. Feeling the strain of having to be on high emotion levels all the time it utterly exhausted him. Emerald eyes snapped open, mind made up and he swiftly moved to enter the castle down the dungeons and interrogate the painting that had fucked up his mind.

If Salazar was relieved to see him the Founder didn't show it.

Harry stood in front of him arms crossed, waiting.

The Slytherin raised an eyebrow at the boy but knew that he had every right to be angry with him, he just hoped that he would understand why he had done the things he had, if only to protect him and maybe it involved a slight bit of personal gain as well.

Salazar liked Hadrian and felt the Wizarding world shouldn't lose one with such potential just yet.

"If it's an apology you are waiting for, you won't get one" he told the boy.

It was Harry's turn to raise his eyebrow.

"Really?" he asked "That's all you have to say to me?" he uncrossed his arms waving them about randomly. "What did you do to me?!" he hissed angrily.

Salazar felt the need to tell him that it was for his own good but reckoned that wouldn't help the matter at all. He would have to be truthful with the child. "I protected yo-"

"Protected!" Harry spat "Please! That was no protection! I was locked up like some animal in my own mind unable to do or say anything! That dear Salazar is no protection" he finished with narrowed eyes.

Salazar in turn narrowed his own and swiftly stalked to the boy exiting his frame.

He took the boy by the chin commanding the younger to look at him.

"I protected you" he told the boy softly this time without interruption.

"You may not yet quite understand what I have done or even appreciate it but I assure you it is very much a protective measure"

"I don't understand" Harry told the Founder.

"You asked to be safe from Thomas, I made some, let's say "adjustments" to your shields so that you are" "It is that simple" Harry stated flatly. "It is" Salazar answered. "And it requires me being locked up?" "It does" "I don't like it" the boy told him "Good" he replied "You're not supposed to"

.

When Lucius and Severus entered their Common Room the little conversation that was being held immediately fell silent. They were quite literally being stared at. The boys raised an eyebrow at that but had expected it. "Lucius!" a blond fell around his neck and hugged him tightly. Narcissa stepped back and did the same to Severus. "I am glad to see you both well" she told them.

During their little reunion younger students had been sent away and the oldest remained. The young black stepped back so that they could be received by their new brothers.

.

"Sirius?"

The boy turned to face his friend. "Yes?"

"Do you think it silly we thought Hadrian could actually be… you know" James trailed off unsure.

His friend gave him a sad smile. "No of course not" 'I still have my suspicions…' he thought in silence.

"I know he said it was due to the fever but I can't help but feel that there is more going on behind that kid then he's letting on" James explained. "I, we all have felt that from the start I suppose, we know there is more and I intend to go all the way to find out" he turned to face Sirius.

"I'd appreciate your support in this" he told him truthfully.

"Just make sure you don't hurt him" 'he has suffered enough as it is' Sirius shivered.

"I didn't mean to imply that we would torture him" James said.

"Good"

"So you with me then?" and outstretched his hand which Sirius grabbed "I'm always going to be with you Prongs" he told the boy reassuringly.

.

"I am to meet Thomas once more for Christmas apparently that demand was made whilst I wasn't listening" Harry told Salazar. 'Best not tell him that I had that fever strike back'

Salazar looked at him silently.

"I didn't intend to go to more than the one meeting" Harry looked down to the dungeon floor, his hands turning to fists.

"Suppose I can't do anything about that now…" Salazar rolled his eyes in a very un-Slytherin characteristic matter and grabbed the boy by his chin once more.

"Why is that?"

"My outer body made the decision to become a Death Eater; whilst I was locked away screaming my head off" Harry narrowed his eyes "This is your fault" Salazar raised an eyebrow at him. "I don't have anything to do with the decisions you make-"

"I. did. not. make. that. decision" Harry told him firmly.

"You did, everything you do whilst in your Safe Box are your actions. They are merely unhindered by your emotions" "I would never willingly decide to be a Death Eater" Harry countered.

Salazar frowned. He did believe that too but then why?

He slowly retreated to his painting and to his trusted bookcase, had he made a mistake?

Harry crossed his arms in frustration. Why?!

From the depths of his mind came an image of Severus Snape and he knew then what had happened, after all the reason why he had agreed to go to that meeting in the first place was because of his Professor. Had Harry not made a wish to become his friend?

Did that not mean he was to stand by his friend's side during good times and bad just like his friends had done for him? Had he taken the thought of friendship so lightly that he could just ignore this major thing only because he had personal issues?

He was not being honest he realised. He swallowed his throat suddenly dry.

When his emotional self was locked away, cold hard logic truth seeing Hadrian had made the decision for him. He was thinking about this too much, he was too emotional, it was too personal and Harry couldn't deal with that.

Hadrian could.

Hadrian knew that Severus deserved no less of a friend than Ron and Hermione were to Harry. Standing strong until the end, through good times and bad, many misunderstandings and so on it was all part of Friendship.

And Harry made that wish, Hadrian had simply pushed him in the right direction exactly what Hermione would have done had she been here.

Hadrian could see the bigger picture.

They only thing he couldn't do was care.

Which Harry did a great deal; what would everyone else think of him becoming a Death Eater?

Harry worried but Hadrian knew true friends stay with you, always.

And Harry understood then, the point that Salazar had tried to make to make him believe that this was for his own protection.

It was.

Insecure Harry, always thinking of others never himself, was unable to make decisions for his own desires. The very fact that he stood here now, might not have happened had his friends not stood by his side. Had they been against it he likely wouldn't have persisted.

It scared him. That he relied so much on others, that what they thought and felt mattered so much to him he would bend himself backwards trying to please…

The Dursley's…

Out of nowhere the cause for his selflessness appeared. The reason why he couldn't put himself first; he didn't matter, he wasn't important he wasn't, he wasn't, wasn't …wasn't…wasn't

The magic picked up on the "danger"; Harrys emotions were starting to get out of control. Immediately everything was sucked away into the Safe Box.

And with a soft click.

Hadrian was back in control.