"Boys, hurry up or you're going to be late for school!" Morticia pulled the noose in the living room.

"You rang?" Lurch appeared almost instantly.

"Yes, Lurch. Can you take the boys' trunks out to the car please?" Lurch grunted and turned towards the door. "Thank you, Lurch."

Gomez walked up behind her, wrapping an arm around his wife's waist. "There you are, querida." She was just starting to show, but not enough to be noticed through her dress. Gomez could feel the very beginnings of her baby bump. "Are you sure you don't want to come with us?"

"I wish I could, darling. But this morning sickness is tearing me up this time. Besides, maybe making it a boy's day will be good for you. I'm sure Wednesday and I will be able to spend some quality time together here." Morticia pressed a kiss to her husband's lips. "And once you get back, we can spend some quality time together as well."

"Tish, you're going to make it to where I don't want to leave at all…" Gomez groaned.

Morticia was still chuckling as he kissed along her neck, when Hadrian and Pugsley came downstairs. "There you are, boys." She patted Gomez' cheek softly. "School now, us later, dear."

"Yes, yes. You're right." Gomez shook himself a bit before throwing an arm around each of his sons. "Well, boys. I can't believe you're both going off to school. I won't know what to do if I don't hear an explosion or two every day."

Pugsley grinned up at his father. "I left my dynamite caps for Wednesday, Father."

"That's my boy." Gomez thumped him on the back. "We ready to go?"

Morticia looked like she was about to cry. "Oh, my boys!" She pulled them both into a hug. "I'm going to miss you both."

"We'll miss you too, Mother." Pugsley and Hadrian replied.

"Write as soon as you get to your dorms tonight. I can't wait to hear where you're sorted, Pugsley, dear." She cupped her son's face in her hands. "I'll see you both soon."

"Wednesday, come say goodbye to your brothers!" Gomez called from the bottom of the stairs.

"Coming, Father!" Wednesday came down and gave a quick hug to each of her brothers before joining her mother. "Bye!"

After saying their goodbyes to their sister, the boys made their way towards the front door, Hadrian carrying Edgar around his neck, and Pugsley keeping a firm grip on Aristotle's tank. Hadrian also had his broom. Pugsley had begged to take his as well, but as first years weren't allowed to take a broom, Morticia had put her foot down. Hadrian had made a bad first impression during his first year, and she didn't want Pugsley to do the same thing. Thankfully, Hadrian had made up for it with his hard work and diligence in his classes, as well as his prowess on the quodpot pitch.

Morticia and Wednesday followed them all out to the car where Lurch was waiting. "Goodbye, children. I'll miss you." Gomez came over to give her one last kiss before climbing into the Packard. "I'll miss you too, dear."

Gomez grinned. "I'll be back tonight, cara mia. And I'm going to talk to old Mr. Fontaine about Halloween before I leave." He slid into the car and Lurch pulled away, leaving Morticia and Wednesday on the curb, waving goodbye.

The four hour ride to Ilvermorny seemed to pass too quickly for Gomez. Pugsley talked most of the ride, anticipating what house he would be in, who he'd meet, and what kind of wand he'd get. Gomez, though, kept an eye on his eldest. Hadrian watched the ride through the window, seemingly deep in thought. Occasionally he'd pet Edgar, who was still hanging around his neck, or respond to a question from his father or brother. But for the most part, he was silent. Gomez was worried about him. Morticia was too. He'd been rather sullen and a little distant ever since the World Cup. Gomez was hoping their plans for the boy's birthday would help open him up again.

Once Lurch drove through the gates of the school, Pugsley was wide-eyed, looking around at everything. They all piled out of the car, and the boys' luggage was levitated to the front hall. Other families were saying goodbye to their children as well. Most rode the train, but a few drove or used side-along apparition. The house elves would take care of delivering all the luggage after the first years were sorted.

"You don't have to come in, Father. I can take Pugsley in." Hadrian stalked up the stairs into the castle, Pugsley on his heels.

"I'll be back, Lurch." Gomez followed his boys up the steps. "I know I don't have to, but I actually need to speak with Mr. Fontaine about something." The headmaster was actually waiting at the top of the stairs, greeting students as they came in. "Ah! Mr. Fontaine. Just the man I needed to speak with!"

"Of course, Mr. Addams. How can I help you?"

Gomez saw that Hadrian and Pugsley were far enough away not to overhear the conversation. Hadrian was pointing around the entrance hall, explaining things to his younger brother. "I, well my wife and I, were hoping that we could come and pick up Hadrian for his birthday this year. A bit of an extended weekend. Is that something that can happen?"

"I don't see why not. He's always on top of his studies, so missing a couple days shouldn't be a problem. Have a trip planned?"

"No, actually. We have a yearly séance on Halloween, we'd really like to have him this year."

The headmaster smiled. "Of course."

"Excellent! So we'll come to pick him up that Saturday and return him on Tuesday." He shook the headmaster's hand before calling his sons over. "Alright boys, I'm off. Hadrian, keep an eye on your brother." He nodded. "I'm proud of you both. Have a good term." Both boys hugged their father, Hadrian a little awkwardly.

"Bye, Father."

"Hadrian, a word, please." The teen looked a little taken aback, but nodded and followed his father back out the door. "Are you alright, son?" He nodded, but didn't speak. Gomez was really worried now. He got down on eye level with his son, who was quickly catching up with him, height wise. "Hadrian, I'm worried about you. You'd tell us if something was bothering you, right?" The boy shrugged and Gomez sighed. "Is this about the World Cup?" He wasn't about to say anything more than that in earshot of his classmates. But, the boy nodded. Gomez pulled him into a hard hug. He bent down as close to the boy's ear as he could and whispered, "You are my son, Hadrian. Always." Hadrian's arms came up and gently clutched at his father's back. "Your mother and I are going to come and get you for your birthday. And we're going to have a séance. You, me, and your mother. That's it. Uncle Fester too, if you'd like."

"Are we going to call them back? My parents? Birth parents, I mean?" Hadrian choked out. Gomez nodded and Hadrian clutched him hard in a hug. "Thank you."

"Of course." He bent back down to look into his son's eyes after they broke apart. "Remember, we love you. And if you need to talk… Anytime…" Gomez pulled out a small mirror. "This is a two way mirror I charmed. I have the other one. If you need to talk, just call for either me or your mother, alright?" Hadrian nodded, discreetly slipping the mirror into his pocket.

"Thank you." He swallowed hard before throwing his arms around him again. "I love you, Father."

Gomez smiled, knowing his son was back. "Love you too, my son." As they stepped apart, Pugsley walked up and Gomez pulled him into a hug as well. "Both of you. Have a good term. Write later to let us know where you ended up, Pugsley."

"Okay, Father." The boys headed inside, and Gomez watched as they walked into the school. Other families were arriving all around them, dropping off their own children.

"Lurch, let's go home."

"Addams, Pugsley." Hadrian watched from the balcony above as his brother stepped up to the Gordian Knot in the entrance hall.

There was a brief pause, then he saw the gem in the Horned Serpent's head begin to glow. Followed by, surprisingly, Pukwudgie's arrow rising up. Hadrian's eyebrow quirked up at that one. He'd never seen his little brother as a Pukwudgie. "Horned Serpent," Pugsley said loudly. There was approval from his roommates, who silently slapped Hadrian on the back. Pugsley looked up at his brother, who nodded approvingly. The brothers were together again.

That evening after everyone had settled in and his roommates were dozing off, Hadrian pulled the curtains around his bed and put up a simple silencing charm his father had taught him. "Umm…" He held the mirror in his hand, feeling a little awkward, talking to a mirror. "Gomez and Morticia Addams, please."

There was a few seconds pause. "Son! How are you? What did your brother get?" His mother's face looked up at him expectantly and Hadrian couldn't help but smile.

"Hello, Mother. I'm fine. Pugsley chose Horned Serpent too."

"That's good. What other house wanted him?"

Hadrian chuckled. "Pukwudgie, if you can believe it." He watched as his father slid into view. "Hello, Father. I just wanted to say that I really appreciate what you're doing about my birthday this year." He broke off, thoughtfully. "I know I haven't been really open recently, and I just… I was struggling with the thought of not actually being an Addams."

Gomez and Morticia smiled sadly. "We know, darling. And we understand. It has to be hard to deal with something like that, after all these years."

"Would you have ever told me if… if something hadn't happened?" His father sighed and glanced at his mother. "You wouldn't have, would you?"

"We had every intention of telling you if you asked. It was not something we were necessarily trying to keep from you. But it was more that it didn't matter to us. You are our son, no matter what. The fact that I didn't give birth to you doesn't change how we feel about you."

"Your mother's right, Hadrian. And we did plan to tell you, it just didn't seem to be all that important. I know it's an important part of you, but it's also your past. We're hoping that getting to talk to Lily and James will help you, son."

Hadrian nodded. "I hope so." He sighed. "Well, I have defense first thing, so I'm going to go to bed." He paused and there was a temptation to fall back into the sullen, nonresponsive teen he'd been recently, but he decided his parents really did love him and he owed it to them to be open. "I love you, Mother. Father."

"We love you too, son. Have a great term and we'll have you home for your birthday." The connection shut off and Hadrian tucked the mirror into the crack between his mattress and the wall before falling asleep.