Seconds turned to hours. The house quiet, calm, a stillness to the house that should've been welcomed.
Gripping his wand twisting it around in his hand trying to force himself to stay grounded to feel what was around him what he could control, All he could see when he blinked let alone close his eyes was the image of his son in pain. Convulsing so violently he would've broken a few bones had he not been held in place. Not even able to go in to give his son a healing drought that he's sure will be needed.
Severus didn't know how much more he could take he was fraying around the edges grasping to find some semblance of calm. From Dark lords and a Wizarding world that does nothing but step over others. From the troubles of a relationship and untangling a web of his own self identity that's been lost for so long. To find his son and almost lose him in the same day.
The one moment when he finally thinks he has peace, stability, hope. The burns on his arms and the screams that play through his mind are nothing but the reminder that for Severus pain was the card he was dealt.
And then there's the vampire in his sons room. A vampire of all bloody creatures, another reminder that no matter how far Severus tried to get he couldn't escape that world. A world that's broken him and bent him so far back he snapped and was never put back together but rather held in place with a piece of thread.
The boy with his Son for some reason is managing to hold against Hadrians magic, concealing the true extent of what's happening within his son.
It was funny at first. Harry Potter someone everyone feared would allow the power he had to corrupt him. The same power that was in fact destroying him, His sweet boy. Severus has gone through the events from start to finish from the time Hadrian was born all the way up to when he last hugged his son.
Hugs were a luxury that Hadrian often indulged Severus with. The times when Hadrian would find him reading a book in his Study and hug him. Such a simple embrace unraveled him. Was it that he was just so starved of affection and care or was it the love he had for his son? Love was a concept Severus's brain still has yet to understand.
Severus watched Tom always has. Took one look at the man and knew that his whole world was staring back at him. A world he never got to experience because even in the moment where they were in love and Sev was flying, the world too no time or mercy in snatching it away from him cracking his porcelain shell. Once there's a crack, eventually it will spread and the slightest tap will cause a shatter.
He remembered vividly the day Tom lost his mind. Can remember everytime he allowed the man to harm him because he was willing to take pain over being torn away, quite frankly it was either that or Dumbledore. Tom was the lesser of two evils.
He didn't feel the presence behind him or maybe he did. Maybe if someone had come to harm him he's not sure he would be able to find the strength to fight back. Honestly? Severus is tired.
He smelled him long before he felt the arms wrap around his waist and the forehead rest over his shoulder blade. Felt the long fingers gently rub his side attempting to quell the shaking. Felt the puff of warm air against his ear long before he heard the words
"Breathe" and he tried he did but he was scared if he did he would feel. He was scared to let the dam threatening to break lose. Scared to make it real
He felt the hands on his side make its way to his arms softly caressing the skin, hands slowly moving down to his clenched tightly around the wand in his grasp. He felt himself being pulled into the lap feeling his head being tucked under the chin, acknowledged more than felt the press of the lips against his forehead. Gently coaxing his fingers to relax
"It's okay" Tom breathed into his hair but was he trying to convince Severus or himself? He didn't k ow anymore. But that's all it took.
It took those two words for Severus to allow himself to break the thread, to shatter back into the million fragments that he had become. All Tom did was hold him. Said nothing just allowed Severus to grieve. Losing himself, almost losing their son, grieving the life he never got to live.
So they sat outside the bedroom door at the end of the hallway. On one side of the door a vampire and a boy fighting for his life on the other two parents, one fighting for his sanity.
The magical world.
A world Edward never knew existed. A world where it wasn't just him and his family and the occasional shifter. A world which once intrigued him but a world he is beginning to see has broken people.
Hadrian was in all ways a spit fire. Despite his size he was lethal, he was fast but calculated, smart but nonchalant, calm with power that radiated off of him. There was a pull Edward felt towards the boy. He felt it the day they met was intrigued to say the least.
While he thought the boy would fear him and look at him as a monster the boy looked at him and his family as normal and in most cases looked at them in annoyance.
Rosalie most of all not that he can blame the raven much
He felt attached to the boy hasn't questioned why and hadn't felt the need to. Edward has done nothing but question and has gotten absolutely nowhere in his never ending life therefore he chooses not to question. All he knows is he'll follow Hadrian even to the darkest pits of hell. He sees the anger in him. The spark that's waiting to be blown. The rage that simmers beneath.
Things that would worry others is what drew him to Hadrian. He thought not being able to see within the boys mind would be intriguing, make him magnetic only to be turned on his head when the boy blocked him while proceeding to roam through his mind. A feeling Edward hasn't been used to.
He looked down at the pale boy he was holding, said boy laying so still had Edward not been able to hear the thump of his heart he would've believed he was dead. He stared down at his arms watching the layer of frost spreading up his arms the burns from the initial first wave of the convulsions healing and fading. It didn't hurt, very little did in a way it was comforting unlike when his parents tried to touch him and instead got burned.
He could feel the pain radiating off the parents, A pain he's sure his own parents felt when he had influenza. To see your child laying on what you assume is their death bed feeling as if there is nothing that you're able to do besides count your blessings.
Hell felt the change in Hadrian, Smelled it.
Something wasn't right, it was dark, poisonous, leeching to Hadrian.He noticed the ears which were once round became more pointed. The once short eyelashes lengthening to rest delicately on his cheeks.
He looked around the room at the artifacts he assumed were from the Wizarding world, items that while he wanted to ask the Raven about would let him approach the subject on his own. Edward was growing attached and fast he couldn't understand. A few days and the boy turned his world on its axis.
He took one look at Hadrian and saw his entire world staring right back at him. He traced the delicate cheek with his fingertip pausing over the curve of his lips. Edward wasnt usually one to admire someone but the raven was truly beautiful.
He can smell their pain. Their fear.
His mind straying to the glimpses into the parts of Hadrians memories he was accidentally shown. Memories of a boy who looked much like his Hadrian. A version of Hadrian that was broken and bloody teetering on the edge of insanity. His Hadrian
He wasn't bored. He wasn't but he was growing anxious just watching the stoic teen. He debated calling Alice but he was sure she knew the situation by now and has told their family he will be occupied for a few days. He would sit and dwell in his thoughts but there weren't many to dwell on so he chose to just go back to staring and the raven and looked back down only to see haunted multicolored eyes staring back at him
It's different. Not right. Not Hadrian
The eyes are empty unfeeling cold and heartless staring back at him with a coldness in his eyes that almost made his frozen heart beat. The raven tilted his head to the side staring at Edward a wide smile covering his lips lifeless eyes boring into his own
"Ha-" he started but was cut off as ink black flooded the multicolored irises watching as the fangs elongated from the teens mouth. The eyes of a wormhole rather than the multicolored irises were staring back at him learning, judging, curious.
Edward tried to press against the mental walls of the ravens conscious. But was only met with a blank stare in return. Nimble fingers made their way up to his chin. At that moment Edward realized they were sitting up. The fingers were cold, colder than his own, black veins crawling up the ravens body save for his face. Nails elongated into sharp talons. Fangs while not long looked as sharp as a razor yet pearly and pristine.
He felt the cold fingers trace his face, which he then realized that Hadrian was mimicking him.tracing in the pattern Edward was been doing to him moments earlier. Silently they sat, the creature still tracing his face fingers lingering on the side of his temple.
It was when he saw the creature smirk his world was shrouded in darkness.