The next couple months flew by and before Hadrian knew it, the school was gearing up for their Halloween feast. He hadn't really told anyone about his upcoming birthday, as it was his first away from home and he was feeling a bit homesick. Joel had noticed his friend's subdued personality leading up to the holiday, but Hadrian kept waving it off as nothing.

However, when Halloween morning dawned, Hadrian woke to Zelda flying in the dorm window carrying a large package. "Hey, Zelda." The vulture squawked as he petted her head. Thankfully, his roommates had gotten used to the unusual bird flying into their dorm rather frequently, but when she flew in first thing in the morning, it did tend to startle them.

"Package from home?" Troy asked as he hopped down from his bunk.

"Yeah, it's my birthday," Hadrian replied as he untied the thick black ribbon from around the package. Opening it, he found a new black sweater from his mother, a copy of Fifteenth Century Fiends, a package of his favorite bat and lizard cookies, as well as several other snacks.

Joel slipped onto his bed next to him as he read the birthday card signed by Pugsley and Wednesday. "I didn't know today was your birthday! Happy birthday, dude."

Hadrian smiled sadly. "Thanks. Cookie?" He held out the package to his friend who shook his head. "More for me," he mumbled as he stuffed a bat in his mouth. Joel hadn't quite come around to the strange foods Hadrian ate regularly.

Although he was excited to be eleven, an undertone of sadness seeped into the day. Hadrian went through the day as normal, going to classes and eating in the dining hall, but he really missed his parents and siblings. It really felt like something was missing. Although they were an unconventional family, wizarding or not, they always put family first. After the feast that night, Hadrian headed up to the astronomy tower, which was normally out of bounds unless they were in class. Because it was Halloween, their Astronomy class had been cancelled for the week. But as his Grandmama had spent so much time with him on Astronomy and Divination, he always felt much closer to her when he was stargazing. While he'd always been close with his parents, he had really treasured the time with her before she'd died.

Unfortunately, for the first time in his life, he was also missing their yearly séance. He hadn't really been all that aware of them until he was about six, but it was always fun to do on Halloween and he always looked forward to them. And because they always did it on his birthday, his parents had always made him feel extra special on that day. It was the first day of being away from home where he dreadfully missed his family. It was also his second birthday since his Grandmama had died.

Hadrian sunk down to the floor, his back against the wall in the Astronomy tower, looking up at the stars. "Hey, Grandmama. I miss you. It's my birthday again. I'm sorry you're not here, but I'm okay. I started at Ilvermorny this year." He sighed, pulling his knees up to his chest. "It's my first time away from home, and I really miss Mother and Father. Pugsley and Wednesday too, I guess." Hadrian smiled sadly, looking back up to the stars. "I know that I'll see you again someday, along with the rest of the family, but it's not the same." After about an hour, Hadrian scrambled back to his feet and made his way back to the Horned Serpent common room.

Gomez and Lurch pulled the Packard into the gates of the school on the last Wednesday of November, parking alongside the few other parents who were picking up their students for Fall break. Not everyone went home, and Thanksgiving wasn't a holiday the Addamses particularly celebrated, but Hadrian had begged to come home for the long weekend. Morticia and Gomez were certainly not going to turn him down.

Lurch stayed with the car as Gomez walked up the stone steps into the entrance hall, nodding to a couple of the other parents nearby. "Ah, Mr. Addams." Gomez turned at his name and saw the headmaster walking towards him.

He smiled graciously and followed the man to the side. "How's my boy doing, Mr. Fontaine?"

The headmaster smiled. "Wonderfully, actually. I'm so glad that we were able to smooth over that trouble at the beginning of the year. He's an excellent student." The men looked up as Hadrian walked up beside his father, Edgar hanging from around his neck. "Hello, Hadrian."

"Hi, Mr. Fontaine. Hello, Father." Gomez smiled as Hadrian threw his arms around him. It was wonderful seeing his son for the first time in the two months. "I missed you."

"Missed you too, son. I hear you've been studying hard?"

"Yes, sir."

"Glad to hear it, my boy. All ready to go?" Hadrian nodded as Lurch took his bag from him, dropping it into the trunk. "Great to see you again, Mr. Fontaine. I'll be bringing him back on Sunday." Gomez shook the headmaster's hand before leading his eldest back to the car.

"Where's Mother?" Hadrian asked as he slid into the car.

Lurch pulled the car away once they'd gotten settled. "Fester wasn't able to come watch your brother or sister, so she offered to stay home with them. Figured we'd get a chance to talk." Hadrian nodded as he lifted Edgar from around his neck. "Are you doing alright at Ilvermorny, Hadrian?"

The boy's eyes lit up a bit as he smiled. "Yeah… I mean, yes sir. I just don't really fit in all that well with everyone else. Joel's cool, but Troy and Gage kind of keep to themselves."

"Well, son. You know that most people don't understand our way of life. Have you made any other friends?" Gomez watched as a little tinge of color blossomed on his son's cheeks. "A girl, perhaps?" He smirked as he pulled a cigar out, taking a puff.

Hadrian squirmed in the seat a little. "You won't tell Wednesday and Pugsley?" Gomez chuckled.

"A man to man talk… I promise." He elbowed his son. "What's her name?"

"Skye… Skye Stark." Gomez smiled, seeing his son's blush deepen.

"Pretty girl, I take it?" Hadrian nodded. "Does she know you like her?"

"Father! No!" Gomez laughed as Hadrian looked scandalized. "I can't tell her!"

"Well, why not?" Gomez caught Lurch's eye in the rearview mirror, who looked like he was trying not to laugh. "We Addams men always display our affection, son."

Hadrian put his face in his hands. "But it's embarrassing!"

"I suppose you've got time to woo the girl. You are only eleven, after all."

"Father!" By now, Lurch couldn't hold it in any longer and let out a low, rumbling chuckle, causing Gomez to laugh as well. "Lurch!" Hadrian crossed his arms, similar to his mother, sulking. "I'm not telling her."

"It's alright, son." Gomez patted him on the shoulder. "You don't have to until you feel comfortable." He smiled at his son. "What's she look like?"

Hadrian sighed happily. "She reminds me of Mother." Gomez smirked. "Long black hair and blue eyes."

The rest of the journey back home passed fairly quickly, Hadrian telling his father all about his first few months at school. When they pulled up to the house, Hadrian almost ran inside, eager to see his mother and siblings.

By the time Gomez reached the door, Morticia was already fawning over Hadrian. "You've already grown a bit, darling. How is school? Do you like your classes? Have you made friends?" Gomez smiled a bit, watching his wife and eldest son. It was good to have him home.

"What's Ilvermorny like, Hadrian?" Pugsley asked as Wednesday strapped him into the chair.

Hadrian sat on the nail bed in the playroom, leaning back against the wall. "It's pretty cool. I have three or four classes a day, depending if one's a double or not. But it's weird living in a dorm. I miss being at home."

"Aww… You missed us?" Wednesday smirked at him and Hadrian rolled his eyes.

"Don't let it go to your head." He hopped off the bed as Wednesday buckled the last strap. "You ready, Pugs?" The younger boy nodded, grinning. Hadrian flipped the switch, standing back as his younger brother lit up. After a minute, he flipped it back off.

"Did it work?" Pugsley was hoping that he'd get his uncle's gift of electricity, but so far hadn't had any luck. Wednesday stuck a lightbulb in his mouth, but it didn't light up. Pugsley spit it out, groaning. "Rats."

"Maybe next time, Pugs." Hadrian helped his sister unlatch their brother. "I want a turn on the rack, guys." Just then the gong sounded for dinner and Hadrian groaned. "So much for that."

The trio made their way up to the dining room, where Lurch was serving up bowls of gopher goulash. "There you are, children." Morticia smiled as they slipped into their seats at the table. "Were you having fun?"

"We electrocuted Pugsley, but it didn't work."

"You know an Addams can't kill another Addams, darling. It's the family curse."

"Oh, I know. But we were trying to make him electrical like Uncle Fester."

"Any luck?" Gomez asked, but the children shook their heads. "Ah, well. Your Uncle Fester had to get struck by lightning to get his electricity. It may be the only way to do it."

Pugsley smirked. "I guess I'll just have to go outside during the next storm, then."

Over the next couple days, Hadrian enjoyed spending time with his siblings and his parents, playing in the cemetery and the playroom. He'd really missed his family in the months he'd been at school. When Gomez and Lurch took him back to school, Gomez noticed the difference in his son. Having him home for the long weekend had done wonders for him, but there was a tinge of sadness that he'd be leaving them again. Thankfully, Christmas was only a month away.

The month of December passed quickly, and Hadrian returned home for the holidays. Gomez and Morticia decided to make it a large celebration, inviting much of the clan for Christmas. Having large family gatherings didn't happen as much anymore, but was always a blast when they did.

The remainder of Hadrian's first year at Ilvermorny was rather uneventful, but his parents were proud of how well he'd done in his classes. He couldn't wait till his second year, when he'd get to try out for the quodpot team, though. He and Pugsley had spent many days of their childhood flying around the cemetery tossing a Quod back and forth, not even bothering with the potion to disable it. The anticipation of an explosion made it so much more fun. Summer was spent in much the same way, and Joel even came for a week to visit.

While Joel had gotten used to some of Hadrian's 'different' ways during the year, meeting the whole family was interesting. However, Joel didn't seem to mind the random explosions, or even the way Hadrian, Pugsley, and Wednesday seemed to always be trying to kill each other. Joel's acceptance of his friend and his family made Hadrian realize just what a good friend he'd found. Few people actually accepted the Addamses as they were.

Although Hadrian wasn't quite able to play some of the same games with Joel that he would with his siblings, he wouldn't trade his best friend for anything.