Arc 01: Reconfiguration
Ch. 03: Coming to Terms
Author's Notes
This is the rewrite of Ch. 02 of The Dragon Has Three Heads (DH3H), by TheLaughingMan1, after which will be my Epic of the Triumvirate Dragonborn Conquerors (E3DC). Before I go any further, I again thank TheLaughingMan1 for his enjoyable work on the existing two chapters of DH3H.
This chapter contains mostly dialogue, which helps to set the tones of various relationships, as well as differentiating E3DC from DH3H in terms of character development, character focus, and plot directions. The original dialogue are quite good, though I added my own colouring here and there. Readers will notice that quite a bit of dialogue are added to the scenes between Hadrian and Neville, Hadrian and Rose, and the siblings (Hadrian and Rose) and Fleur. This chapter also introduces Daphne, who helps to move the plot, let us just say.
Now, onwards with the story.
Beta readers are also welcome to contribute to this story.
Publish date: 2019-04-14
Edit (2019-04-22): The triplets' new hair colours have been changed from their end states of silver or silver blond(e) to their new initial transition states.
(See the opening AN for legalese, detailed story parametres, and text formatting legend.)
== November 28, 2014, The Great Hall, Hogwarts ==
Neville sat at the Gryffindor table, quietly eating his morning porridge as he mulled over the last few days of his life. He ignored everyone around him, including the phantom pain caused by the missing chunk of his upper right leg, blocking them out as he considered the changes in the school since the miraculous events of the First Task.
Over night, the Eveschatten triplets had become celebrities. Neville had read many articles in the Daily Prophet about their survival as "experts" theorised over how and why they had survived the dragonfire. No one really knew for sure, so naturally everyone was having a grand time making up their own truths.
A few people were even convinced that the Eveschattens were secretly dragon animagi, which was ridiculous to say the least. No one had ever been a magical animagus, not even Merlin. The Eveschatten Trio were strong, yes, but they were not that powerful. Anyone with that kind of magic would not need to become a dragon, they would be so insanely powerful that they would not even need a wand to do the sort of magic that would exhaust even Albus Dumbledore. Little did Neville know, the last conjecture would not prove to be so inaccurate.
There were a bunch of other theories: the Eveschattens were the heirs of Merlin; the Eveschattens were the Founders reborn, though how one Founder was left out was naturally brushed off; the Eveschattens were actually Fire Salamanders under clever glamours; and so on. It was pretty crazy stuff and that was just the general talk.
Some people actually believed that the Eveschattens were Dark, believe it or not. Granted, opening using Parseltongue did not help to calm down the ignorant speculators. Now, thinking Bella was dark, Neville could understand, and maybe Hadrian in a long shot, but Rose? Really? Rose Eveschatten was one of the nicest people Neville knew. A bit flirty, but that did not make her evil. If Rose flirted, it was for two reasons: she felt comfortable around you or wanted to embarrass you a little.
Neville honestly felt sorry for her. Poor Rose had lost all of her hair in the dragonfire incident and now had to grow it back. Neville didn't know much about girls, but he knew that both Rose and Bella had been very proud of their hair. To make it worse, he had overheard more than one girl laughing about the Eveschatten girls' lack of hair. He really hoped none of them were stupid enough to say anything to Bella. Be it on their heads if they did.
Still, something had changed in them. Their eyes were now even more freaky, not that he would ever say that out loud, least in front of Bella, lest he wanted his Grandmother to find his dead body in someplace of ill repute. No, the colour purple did not do their new eyes justice; never before had he seen a shade of amethyst more pure and powerful. He swore that they sometimes pulsated with the same kind of luminosity as that Mundane superhero's arc power source and energy beam weapons did from the comic books Hadrian had given him to ease his way into Mundane culture. Anyhow, what hair had grown back so far had changed. Their hair seemed to each show a skunk stripe now. The reason for such a change was anybody's guess.
Hadrian was a bit different now, Neville had noticed. He was more standoffish, more apart from the crowd than ever before. He did not speak as much and looked as though he had not been getting much sleep either. A good bit of the time, no one even knew where Hadrian was. He just disappeared for hours on end. It was a little suspicious to the rest of Gryffindor House. The sensible ones just presumed he spent most of his time with his sisters, as the triplets usually did anyway.
Finishing his breakfast, Neville stood up from the table with his newly acquired cane and walked out of the Great Hall in search of his friend. He did not complain about the discomfort walking now caused him, for he knew he would surely have died had the Eveschattens not intervened. As it was an early Saturday morning, Ron was still asleep in the tower and Hermione had disappeared into the library before Neville woke up. Knowing Hadrian as well as he did, Neville made for the abandoned third highest tower to the west side of the castle.
He ignored the whispers of other students when he saw them and took several secret passages to avoid any more notice, choosing one of the more roundabout paths to the favourite hangout of the Eveschatten siblings. As far as he was aware, only Neville knew where the triplets liked to roost when away from their dormitories.
Early in their First Year, Hadrian had discovered a way into the forgotten part of the school while exploring Hogwarts; or so he said. Neville believed that it was more likely Sirius had told him how to get around the various enchantments meant to keep students out of the unused sections of the prestigious school. Either way, Hadrian had claimed a portion of it for himself and his sisters.
Later, he and Neville had added protective charms of their own to the corridors leading up to the top most room, casting the spells together so as to make them more effective and longer lasting than they would otherwise be. He suspected that Bella and Rose had made their own contributions to the security of the hangout abode at later dates.
Neville knocked lightly on the ancient oak door, smiling faintly when he noticed the initials carved near the bottom. 'HE', 'BE', 'RE', and finally his own 'NL'. He remembered when they had done that in their Second Year, back when everyone in the school had thought Neville was the Heir of Slytherin. The Tower, as they called it, had been a godsend for Neville when everything just became too much and he needed a quiet place to relax.
"Come on in, Neville." Hadrian's muffled voice called out. Well, it was good to know that the proximity charms were holding up nicely. He made a mental note that Hadrian and he needed to recast those charms before the year was out or else they would fade during the summer break.
Neville stepped into the room and almost immediately broke out in a sweat. It was as hot as a furnace in the Tower, the fireplace was blazing red hot and putting out an immense amount of heat into the round room. After the coolness and draftiness of the passages, the room felt stifling and made it difficult to breath. Neville tossed off his winter cloak and loosened his collar, seeking relief from the heat.
Hadrian sat in his usual armchair by the fire, though how he could possibly stand to be next to the fireplace was beyond Neville's comprehension. His old mate was not even sweating, instead looking as comfortable as could be in his winter clothes. Looking around, he noticed that the sisters were not present in the room, which was rather strange, but his attention was drawn to the three large oval objects sitting in the midst of the hearth's inferno.
"Hadrian, why do you have three dragon eggs in the Tower?" Neville questioned hesitantly, warily eyeing the eggs as he recalled his latest experience with dragons. He shuddered at the memory of the gigantic beast.
"The Headmaster was kind enough to let me have them." Hadrian stated, smiling briefly as his emerald-amethyst eyes turned back to the eggs. "Without their mother present, they would probably die. I couldn't let that happen, Neville."
"Mate, this is illegal." The Longbottom Heir pointed out worriedly, not wanting his friend to get into trouble. "And dangerous. You can't hatch three dragons inside of a school. What if they get out? What if they set fire to the Tower? You know what dragonfire can do."
"Don't worry, Mum has already applied for a Dragon Breeding Licence. Once the paperwork goes through, I'll transport them home to Skye." Hadrian replied unconcernedly, watching the eggs with a frightening intensity. "It'll be fine."
"If you say so." Neville nodded, swallowing his protests and warnings. He knew full well that Hadrian would not listen to him. Hadrian never listened to anyone, except for the Eveschatten women, once he made up his mind. Walking over to the couch, Neville sat down and asked, "How's Rose and Bella doing?"
"Scared. Confused. Depressed." Hadrian murmured in answer, the only hint of concern and sadness that he showed was in his eyes. "Fortunately, Madam Pomfrey had Snape brewing up a batch of hair stimulation tonic for them. In a few weeks, they'll have hair that will be as long as they want it."
"That's good." Neville smiled, glad to hear it. He wiped away the sweat that threatened to fall into his eyes with his sleeve. "I know how much they love their hair, but, well, I guess it won't be exactly the same, will it?"
"No, it won't. Bella went a little mad for a while. Madam Pomfrey had to restrain her to the bed until she calmed down." He recalled, then gave Neville a small grin, "I don't think she likes how a portion of her hair resembles Delacour's now. She ranted for quite some time about 'infestation of the bitch kind'. Rose didn't take it quite as badly, but it still wasn't pretty."
"I'd imagine not." Neville admitted, nodding. "I'm surprised that they aren't here with you. Where are they?"
"Rose is probably either in the library or off making Sue blush. That poor girl has the biggest crush on her." Hadrian smiled briefly, thinking of the pretty Chinese-British girl who was painfully shy and hopelessly in lust with his tease of a younger sister. "I have no idea where Bella is. Probably visiting Hagrid. You know how those two love to talk about magical creatures."
"How are you doing, mate?" Neville asked him, concerned for his friend. Hadrian opened his mouth to answer, but Neville cut him off pointedly. "Really."
"I don't know. Different." Hadrian said quietly, staring down at his hands and rubbing them together lightly as if exploring them. "I can't describe it. It's just this feeling I have, like a part of me has slid into place. I'm more myself, but I still feel different. It doesn't make any sense."
"Few emotions do." Neville advised, showing surprising wisdom for someone so young. "I'm here if you need me, mate. I don't know how I could help, but I'll try my best."
"Thanks, Neville, but you have your own problems to worry about." Hadrian told him, looking at his cane while he did so.
Neville could not help but wince as he absently rubbed his upper right leg. "Yeah, during the First Task, I didn't even notice, with the adrenaline and me being scared out of my mind. Now though, I'm slowly adjusting to my new reality." He said with a grimace. "Still, it could've been a lot worse, and maybe now I can rack up some street cred with Moody if I decide to pursue a law enforcement career later on." He joked.
Hadrian did not say anything, just sat there to act as a bastion of support and nonjudgment for his friend and ally.
With a sigh, Neville added, "I never got the chance to thank you for what you and your family did for me, mate. I wouldn't be here limping along had your mum not literally summoned me to the Top Box while you and your sisters distracted the dragon."
"That's what friends and allies are supposed to do, Neville." Hadrian replied with a grin. How else was he supposed to act, tell him that a large part of his family's rapid decision tree on his rescue was due to a beneficial political maneuver? Yeah, maybe, but not today or the near future at least.
Although truly touched by the Eveschattens' actions, Neville was not comfortable being so emotional. So he quickly and transparently switched subjects. "You know, Hadrian, while the Boy-Who-Lived becoming the Boy-Who-Is-Now-Crippled is certainly still big news, the media and simple-minded wankers will no doubt have a field day and go bonkers over you and your sisters' Parseltongue display, right?"
With a confident smirk, Hadrian said, "Don't worry about it Neville, we have already crafted a plan to deal with situation. If you don't mind, I'd like to be alone for now. I really need to think over everything."
Relieved that his friend was taking things largely in stride, he said, "Sure. Take care of yourself, Hadrian." Neville stood up and headed for the door, pausing to shoot one more look to confirm his observation, then exited the room and headed back to the Gryffindor Common Room.
Hadrian waited a few moments, then stood up from his chair and made his way over to kneel in front of the hearth. The dragon eggs were as large as an ostrich egg, each one a mix of muddy red and earthy brown. He took a deep breath, focusing on the urge he felt. It was a curious thing, as if he had once known exactly what to do, but had forgotten it, when he knew for sure that he had not ever read anything like this.
Gathering his courage, Hadrian reached into the flames and took hold of the centre most dragon egg, then carefully withdrew it from the fire. Something squirmed inside of him, a twisting feeling of anticipation and growing desire. He studied the egg, caressing the fine scale-like ridges in an almost loving manner before he closed his eyes.
He focused on channelling his magic to his hands, feeling them warm and grow heavier as the magic increased in density. Breathing in through his nose, Hadrian guided his magic into leaking from his palms as he began to slowly rub the egg as if polishing it. Everywhere that his hands went, the egg darkened in colour until finally he held an egg in his palms that was as black as a moonless night.
Emerald-amethyst eyes glowed faintly as Hadrian began to pour the magic from his hands, which now felt almost effortless as compared to his previous attempts over the years, pushing it past the shell into the barely formed dragon foetus inside. So slowly that it was almost unnoticeable, the egg grew in size and the lustre of its shell increased until it shined. Slowly, Hadrian placed the dragon egg back into the flames, then withdrew his hands from the fire.
He stood up and swayed, feeling absolutely exhausted as he staggered over to his favourite armchair to sit. Nearly as soon as he was seated, Hadrian was out cold.
== November 28, 2014, Charms Corridor, Hogwarts ==
Belladonna Alexandria Eveschatten kept her chin up as she strode down the hall, ignoring the pointing fingers and hushed conversations all around her. Groups of girls giggled as she passed, making her grit her teeth in anger.
Her hair, her beautiful ebony hair, was gone. Madam Pomfrey had assured Bella that her hair would grow back as soon as Snape finished the potion, but for the moment she was almost embarrassingly bald, the long wild locks that she had been so proud of was replaced by mere stubble, with a silver patch at the front no less! Where once other girls had envied her and shot her looks of jealousy, now they giggled as she passed and whispered about her behind her back.
None had thus far been stupid enough to say anything to her face, although she longed for even the slightest hint of confrontation. Humiliation burned inside her and she ached to return their whispers with pain, so that she could have some sort of release. Her fingers lightly caressed the Hawthorn wand sheathed at her waist, longing for some distraction, watchful for any excuse to unleash her emotions.
"Nice hair, Eveschatten!" Marietta Edgecombe, one of Cho Chang's little sycophants, called out mockingly as the group of girls surrounding her began to snicker. A mean smile was on the little bitch's face and she looked very pleased by her own wit.
"Alligans Funis!" Bella snarled as she whipped around, stabbing her wand in Edgecombe's direction. A thin length of rope flew from the tip of the wand, wrapping around the Ravenclaw's neck. She ignored the startled screams from the other girls and pulled back on her wand harshly, causing Edgecombe to fall to her knees on the cold stone floor of the corridor.
Edgecombe's hands scrambled for her wand, but Bella twisted her own Hawthorn wand, tightening the rope until the girl was gasping for breathe. She approached the downed older teen with slow predatory steps, relishing in the moment. Bella gave a snap of the wrist, forcing the girl to roll onto her back so that she could glare down into her eyes.
"What was that, Edgecombe?" Bella questioned lightly, her voice soft and attentive. It was ruined by the cruel smirk on her lips. Edgecombe's face was beginning to purple from the lack of air, but Bella was having far too much fun to stop now. "Were you admiring my new hairstyle? It is rather bold, I admit. I bet that you wish you could do something similar with that ugly rug that you call 'hair', isn't that right?"
Bella loosened the rope enough so that Edgecombe could breathe a bit easier and stared down at her, her inverted emerald-amethyst eyes daring the Ravenclaw to deny her words. None of her friends tried to come to her aid, they were too afraid of what Bella would do to them if they did. Slowly, Edgecombe nodded and gasped, "Y-Yes."
"'Yes', what Edgecombe?" The bald girl mocked, tightening the rope again threateningly. "Yes, that you are jealous of me? That you love my new look? That I am much prettier bald than you could ever hope to be?"
"Yes, I love your hair!" Edgecombe screamed out, wheezing as she desperately tried to inhale oxygen into her lungs. She wished that she had not said a word. Marietta had hoped to win some approval from the group, but was suicidally overconfident that someone of Belladonna Eveschatten's calibre would not retaliate with disturbing prejudice. Thus she was publicly humiliated instead.
"Why, thank you, Marietta. I'm flattered." Bella purred dangerously, her emerald-amethyst eyes dancing sadistically as she stared the girl down. "It takes a lot of courage to speak the truth. How can I repay your compliment, I wonder? I know! Radet Capillum!"
A thin ball of purple light leaped from Bella's wand, hitting Edgecombe on her head. The jinx caused her entire head to glow purple for a few seconds, then the jinx's purpose became clear. Marietta Edgecombe's long brown curls fell off in large clumps. Her hand reached up shakily, tears filling up her doe-like eyes as she realised what Bella had done. She let out a choked sob, embarrassed beyond belief as she stared at the clump of hair in her hand.
"There you go. They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Now you look just like me, only, well, much uglier." Bella smirked smugly, banishing the rope and slowly levitating Edgecombe up, then propping her up against the corridor wall. "Petrificus Totalus. This way, everyone can see your fabulous new haircut, Edgecombe. Consider this a gift."
Bella then turned and continued down the corridor on her way to Potions class, sauntering with every step. As soon as she had turned the corner, Edgecombe's friends quickly freed her, but the damage was done.
It did not take long for a certain bushy haired Muggleborn to catch up to her, but Bella ignored the know-it-all, whom she disliked, as best as she could. Of course, Hermione Granger could not keep her opinions to herself for long.
"That was cruel, Eveschatten." Granger spat out as Bella neared the Potions classroom, causing Bella's face to tighten in annoyance. "You should be ashamed of yourself, using magic in the corridors and attacking another student on top of that. You'll be in detention for a month when Professor McGonagall finds out."
"Leave it alone, Granger. " Bella snapped grumpily, having been enjoying her moment of victory until the annoying girl spoke to her. "I was just having a bit of fun. You don't approve? Go and squeal to McGonagall like I know you want to, then see what happens. I promise it won't be as nice as what I did to Edgecombe."
"Are you threatening me?" Granger demanded, her hair fluffing out like an angry cat. Bella rolled her eyes in annoyance, 'As if she is worth the effort.' She then grabbed Granger's pale throat and slammed her against the damp dungeon wall.
"Shut up!" Bella said sharply, noticing Hermione beginning to open her mouth. She brandished her Hawthorn wand, pointing the tip at the girl's left eye [03a]. "I don't make threats, Granger. I explain consequences. Do not test me."
"If you think that you can bully me like some First Year student, then-" Hermione began to snap, but paused as the sound of footsteps neared them. Both girls turned their heads as one as Professor Snape walked around the corner.
"Am I interrupting a private moment?" The Potions Master drawled sarcastically, looking pointedly at the position the two girls were in as he crossed his arms over his chest. It only enhanced his bat-like look.
"No!" Bella quickly denied, letting go of Granger as if she was poisonous while the Gryffindor blushed at the insinuation. Snape's coal black eyes lingered on Bella's wand, then slowly rose up to meet Bella's emerald-amethyst ones.
"I see." He said softly, then turned to Granger. "Ms. Granger, class will begin shortly, so perhaps it would be prudent for you to leave. It seems I must have a conversation with my student concerning inappropriate behaviour in the corridors."
"Yes, Professor." Granger nodded, gathering up her bag and tossing it over her shoulder. She shot Bella a victorious look as she headed on to class. Bella glared at her turned back until the annoyance was out of sight.
"I really hate her." Bella murmured disdainfully, turning to face her Head of House, only to find that Snape was glaring at her. "What?"
"Your family has caught the public's eye, Ms. Eveschatten. Your actions will reflect back on Slytherin, in addition to your family." Snape lectured, sneering the word 'family' when he spoke. "While I understand your frustration, for the time being it would be wise to restrain yourself. Upsetting the student populace will only make things more difficult for you and your siblings. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Professor." Bella gritted out, gnashing her teeth. Snape had never given her a lecture before; he had never needed to. It was humiliating for her of all people to be scolded by her Head of House as if she was an ignorant Firstie.
"I hope so, Ms. Eveschatten. I would hate to punish one of Slytherin's brightest students, particularly one slated to make Prefect next year." Snape stated disapprovingly, a hint of warning in his tone. "If you must, ah, deal with Ms. Granger, do so in a manner befitting your high standing within our House. Off with you now."
"Yes, Professor." Bella said plainly, swiftly walking down the corridor to class. With any luck, the potion today would be a finicky one. Maybe she could distract Granger somehow and toss a bit of rat intestine into the girl's potion. On second thought, no. What she did to Edgecombe was the sort of cruelty she normally reserved for the kind of people who were stupid enough to threaten her or royally pissed her off. Edgecombe was simply unfortunate enough to catch her on a very, very, very bad hair day. She would not stoop lower by petulantly ruining another student's work, even someone as brown-nosing as Granger.
Before she could progress any further, another figure came forth from an intersecting corridor.
Daphne Ophelia Greengrass was a dyed-in-the-wool type of Slytherin. With her mane of spun golden silk, ice-blue eyes, refined features, and voluptuous body, Daphne was every inch of the aristocratic heiress every Pureblood aspired to be but many failed at. Excessive inbreeding without the means to purge the buildup of harmful genes was not conductive to magical prowess, let alone not looking deformed, after all; and as much as historical figures such as Charles II of House Habsburg made for fine case studies illustrating that fact, one which anyone with even the most basic understanding of biology could understand, not that any "proper" Pureblood would bother themself with any Muggle knowledge, "people" like Crabbe and Goyle made Charles II looked like Prince Charming in comparison. Daphne was not like the typical Pureblood though, not after Bella rudely introduced her to the many advancements made by Mundanes over the past few centuries. Except for her little sister Astoria, Tracey, and Lucretia, Bella was the only one whom Daphne got along well with in Slytherin. Similarly, Daphne's group were the only people whom Bella associated with in her School House. The two shared many similar character traits, though whereas Bella was quick to slash her wand at the offending party, Daphne's first line of attack was usually with a caustic put-down [03b].
"Bella." Daphne nodded to her friend in greeting. "I just saw Granger walking by with that holier-than-thou expression on her face again. You wouldn't have anything to do with that, would you?" She asked, although already suspecting what the answer might be.
"Daphne." Bella greeted back. "You're not wrong. That bookworm saw me taking some of my frustrations out on Edgecombe, not my finest moment mind you, so she'll no doubt tell McGonagall about the latest bout of fiendish behaviour from this Bellatrix reincarnation later today." She finished with an eye-roll and slight pout.
"Well, as much as Edgecombe and Granger are lacking in rationality in their own ways, don't expect me to tell you what you did was that smart." Daphne replied, though not unkindly.
"I know, that's why I love you, Daphne." Bella jested half-sarcastically.
Daphne did not bother dignifying that statement. Instead, she went right for the follicle, er, meat of issue. "That's a bold look you're sporting, Bella, although I confess I have trouble seeing you keeping that bloodthirsty Buddhist nun look indefinitely." She quipped with an upward lift by the corner of her dainty lips.
"You bet your sweet little ass I won't." Bella said with a huff. "Although, seeing as how my siblings' and my own eye colours all changed to amethyst after that unwanted, though spectacular, baptism-by-fire, I can reasonably presume that our hairs will grow out the same colour as well."
At the mention of her brother's name, Daphne's cheeks coloured slightly, which would have went unnoticed by most people. But Bella was not most people, and she had been Daphne's friend for many years now for such a minute display to slip by her.
"Oho, what's this? Is Slytherin's Ice Queen having amorous thoughts about someone?" Bella teased.
"Like you're one to talk, Ms. 'Frere Amant'." Daphne quickly deflected, not wanting to affirm or deny that probe.
Bella frowned at that comment, being unpleasantly reminded of that French harpy. Still, she did not bother denying that flippant remark. Because just like Bella, Daphne was very adept at reading the subtleties of human interactions too, and Bella would bet the regrowth of her hair that her friend had at least picked up on her vastly different modes of behaviour around her brother compared to other males.
With a sigh, Daphne added, "Look, Bella. We both aren't the type of women who are mushy with our feelings, but we do take what we want."
No more words needed to be said between the pair, so they proceeded to walk into the Potions classroom for another session of thrilling learning experience with the cheerful Professor Snape.
=+= November 28, 2014, A Forgotten Hall, Hogwarts =+=
To Hadrian Eveschatten, family was everything. Well, many things certainly, but he would not indulge in zealotry either. It had always been this way, even going back to childhood. Neville was his friend, yes, but there was a distance between them that could not be breached, certain secrets and thoughts that could never be shared. Neville was a friend, not family. Family was what one made of it. And even operating based on that modified definition, Neville simply was not his family.
Hadrian was fortunate enough to count only his gorgeous Sisters and Mother as his family. Had James Potter still been alive, he and his sisters would have simply treated him as their inconsequential sperm donor and nothing more [03c]. Still, he would admit, at least to himself, that his feelings towards his father was in part due to the possessiveness he felt towards his female kin. James' legacies, or lack of, simply cemented Hadrian's opinion that James was not worthy of Hadrian's Mother as her mate and Hadrian's Sisters as their Father [03d]. To this day, his Mother still refused to reveal the reason(s) for her break-up with James, although he suspected it had something to do with James overriding Lily's concerns by choosing Peter 'Wormtail' Pettigrew as his family's Fidelius Secret Keeper, a decision that in hindsight looked positively retarded, to say nothing of Pettigrew's slimy moniker.
Live for the family; die with the family. That was a motto he could live with, insofar his current family composition at least. Those had always been his thoughts on the matter. Everyone needed some guiding first principles to live by, some set of values and things to devote themselves wholly and be loyal to. For Hadrian, that was his family. Everyone else did not seem real to him. He could not understand them, could not empathise with them, and as such they could not be trusted, unless both parties invested the resources to do so [03e].
Aside from Neville, Hadrian did not have many other close friends or associates in the world. The exceptions were the individuals whom he and his sisters saw potentials in and got along with.
Daphne Ophelia Greengrass and Padma Saraswati Patil were both intelligent girls, and he could appreciate their commercial ambitions and scholarly interests. Daphne, in Slytherin House, was learning the trade as the heiress to her family's business that grew and sourced high quality potion ingredients; while Padma, in Ravenclaw House, had her sights set on becoming an Unspeakable within the Department of Mysteries (DMys / D.o.M.).
Lucretia Adrasteia Zabini [03f], in Slytherin House, was the sole child of the infamous Black Widow, Adrasteia Zabini [03f], throughout her numerous marriages, all of which just happened to result in the no doubt tragic losses of her husbands, all of whom were coincidentally wealthy. Normally, someone close to a serial killer was an individual whom Hadrian would be highly cautious of, because although James Potter bungled the management of the Potter wealth, Hadrian's family was still moderately wealthy; however, through some digging, he discovered that all of Adrasteia's ex-husbands were the sort of people whom the traditionally-inclined British Purebloods would hold up as 'pillars of society'—not real losses in his humble opinion. Even though Adrasteia was the sort of woman who could leave hapless men dead with smiles on their faces with practiced ease, and Lucretia likely her mother's protégée, he and his sisters were not exactly saints themselves, thus an association of mutual benefits could still be realised with the duo femme fatales.
Susan Amelia Bones, in Hufflepuff House, was someone else he was on good terms with. The girl might seem shy to strangers, but one did not grow up under the guardianship of the Head of the DMLE without learning to grow a strong backbone. Her direct line to her aunt, Amelia Bones, was just a bonus.
Cho Chang [03f], in Ravenclaw House, was also someone high on the social ladder. She was academically competent no doubt, however most of her social capital came from her prowess as the Seeker on the Ravenclaw Quidditch Team, something that he could attest to from the numerous aerial duels he had had with her over the past two years in interhouse quidditch matches, the connections of her well-chosen friends, and her position as the heiress of her family's import business, sourcing goods primarily from East Asia.
Parvati Priyanka Patil was seemingly the polar opposite of her twin Padma, being one of two definitive gossips in Gryffindor House, along with her friend Lavender Brown. Underneath her persona of an airhead however, was someone who had a masterful touch on the pulse of the schoolyard grapevine, therefore a natural information broker if he ever interacted with one.
Tracey Davis [03f] and Astoria Abigail Greengrass, both in Slytherin House, were Daphne's supposed closest friend and little sister respectively. Tracey was the daughter of a father from a minor Pureblood house and a Muggleborn mother, which meant she too was technically a Pureblood, but when had inconvenient facts got in the way of the prejudices of Purebloods clinging on to power? Because of this, Tracey had tried, and was largely successful in, keeping a low profile in her School House. Astoria was two Years below her sister and a ball of sunshine or a spitfire to be around, depending on the energetic young girl's mercurial mood. It did not take too long for him and his sisters to take a shine to her however, looking out for her whenever possible.
Luna Lovegood [03f], in Ravenclaw House, was a quirky, but harmless girl a Year above Astoria, one whom he had yet to interact with in any meaningful capacity. Her, ah, unique, worldview however, had lead to some bullying, though thankfully mostly still the emotional kind at this point, that had slowly been getting worse over her two years at Hogwarts. Apart from any tangible value she might bring to his family's causes, he simply could not ignore her state any longer in good conscience.
And lastly, there was Fleur Delacour [03f], the exotic, yet no doubt competent, elegant French TWT competitor. He could not be sure, but the feeling she gave off back in the tent was simply too perfect to be fully human, almost like the… Veela… cheerleaders of the Bulgarian Men's National Quidditch Team at the Quidditch World Cup this past summer. Well, that would explain it then. It was amusing to Hadrian how similar Delacour and Bella were in personality. One short meeting in and they were already at each other's throats, like two females fighting over the same piece of territory. If they could get past their mutual animosity towards each other, which would definitely require him to play mediator at least a few more times, he was confident that Delacour would make for a good ally in the future [03g].
Hermione Emma Granger, in Gryffindor House, might have been his friend, but his sisters took exception to that possibility, something about "not worthy of his attention". That happened during their First Year, so he could not be sure of the validity of that statement. History had validated his sisters' objections though; her excessive deference to authoritative figures and institutions was a pitiable and naïve attribute if he was feeling charitable in his opinion.
It did not escape his notice that the people whom he just listed were all females. He would not defend his choices by claiming he had not factored in their looks for consideration; yet the truth was, he had always felt more comfortable around females than males. Most men acted like he was constantly plotting to netorare (hey, do not judge him for consuming Mundane Japanese manga and anime, one of the few hobbies he still allowed himself to indulge in from time to time, due to his forced and accelerated maturity) their female friends, potential love interests, and family members. He did not consider himself to be too perverse of an individual, yet the visual that scenario just provided him agreed with his recently heightened need for domination something fierce.
He had no need in his life for people whom he could not trust. One needed close bonds, a foundation that would never betray or usurp him, and for him, that was family. He would do his utmost to defend his family. However even family required trust, something that he knew would not be a problem for and from his Sisters and Mother.
However, such close bonds did lead to awkward and confusing emotions. He loved his Sisters and his Mother fiercely, yet sometimes he did not feel as he should towards them. Incestuous thoughts slithered their way into his mind, a serpent of temptation that whispered terrible and wonderful things to him that set his blood on fire. He felt wicked things for his family and it made him angry, angry that he did not have the strength to keep those feelings pure as they should be. He did not subscribe to any religion, a useless but persistent social construct invented by men to keep their weak-minded fellows huddled together. The only forces in the universe he had respect for are Magic/Laws of Universal Mechanics and Death. He was not sure whether the two were merely natural forces or actual cosmic entities, like those he had read about in various Mundane works of fiction. Nevertheless, even he could not fully escape the enforcement effects of the social norms against sibling and parental incest [03h].
"Hey, you okay?" Rose asked with concern in her voice beside him. Hadrian shook himself out of his thoughts, putting a reassuring smile on his face for her sake. By the curious tilt of her head, he supposed that he was not as convincing as he had hoped.
"I'm fine." He answered as casually as possible, reaching up to run a hand through his hair only to feel the short bristles where once a head of messy hair had been. It was an ever present reminder of why he was being treated to freaked-out looks and cruel gossip by those who considered themselves his peers. "Did you have fun teasing poor Sue?" He asked, trying to lighten the mood.
"Of course." Rose smirked. "But that is irrelevant. You're lying again." She pointed out. Hadrian felt his cheeks heat up slightly at being caught, even as more lies came to the tip of his tongue. "Stop it. You don't have to lie to me. We share everything, remember?"
"I remember." He nodded, giving her a brief smile. She returned it, a tender look on her pretty face that caused guilt to churn inside of him. She looked so innocent. "Just ask me again sometime."
"Alright." She accepted, still eyeing him speculatively. The siblings were quiet, walking down one of the many forgotten halls of Hogwarts Castle as they enjoyed doing. "Did you hear about Bella?"
"What did she do this time?" Hadrian wondered, a small smile of amusement tugging on the corners of his mouth. "Wait, let me guess. Cursed Filch again? No, too droll. Bewitched Hagrid's pumpkins to scare the Puffs? Hmm, no, too Weasley-ish. Finally old Snape where to shove his mandrake root?"
"None of the above. Bella's in detention for the next two weeks for assaulting Marietta Edgecombe." Rose giggled a bit mean-spiritedly, having no love for the simpering Ravenclaw or the clique she belonged to. "Shaved her bald and stuck her to the wall of the Charms Corridor for the whole school to see."
"That was her?" Hadrian raised his eyebrows, having seen the sight in question when he was climbing the staircases up to the Ancient Runes classroom. "What did Edgecombe do to piss her off so badly?"
"No idea, but you'd think she would know better. Bella's temper has been short fused ever since, you know, the First Task." Rose said delicately, not sure what to call it. The dragonfire had changed them all and they were still trying to come to terms with what had happened. "Anyway, apparently someone from Gryffindor squealed to McGonagall about the whole thing."
"Three guesses who." Hadrian offered wryly, rolling his eyes. "I swear, Granger is obsessed with getting Bella into trouble. She must be a masochist or something."
"Eww." Rose wrinkled her nose up cutely, having seen that image in her mind's eye. "Okay, let's change the subject from Granger's kinks to, well, anything else. You've heard about the Yule Ball, I presume?"
"I read about it when I was researching the Tournament. As far as I know, they haven't officially announced it yet." He shrugged uncaringly. Hadrian had no interest in such things, he was far too busy devouring every book on dragons that he could get his hands on. Craig the Crispy's book on dragon breeding had been particularly in-depth.
"And?" Rose pressed, watching him carefully. Idly, she re-adjusted her book satchel to her other shoulder.
"'And', what?" He wondered, trying to figure out what his sister was getting at. She sighed heavily, as if disappointed or annoyed by his ignorance.
"And, who are you going to take to the Yule Ball?" Rose asked plainly, figuring that beating around the bush was going to get her nowhere fast. When it comes to subtlety, well, her Beloved Brother simply did not have it or even notice it unless forced to.
"I don't know." He replied, giving her an odd look. "It's still two months away. Besides, if you've noticed, we aren't exactly the most sought after people in school right now."
"Oh come on, Arie. Our hair will be back in less than a month. By that time, we'll still be famous, but they won't be as freaked out by us." Rose stated confidently, a side she only showed a select few. "We'll be exotic to them, I'd wager."
"Maybe." He said doubtfully, not believing it. People feared what they did not understand and three people surviving dragonfire unscathed was quite the mystery. "It's still two months away. Who really cares about some silly dance?"
"Oh, just every girl in the castle." She deadpanned, pausing to inspect the painting of a young Catherine the Great. The gorgeous Czarina in the painting smiled beautifully at Rose, giving her a nod of acknowledgement before returning to her book. "So, no one has caught your eye?" She probed.
"I've been a little busy, Rose." Hadrian answered as an excuse, honestly having not thought about romance among his peers. The girls he thought of before were certainly interesting and pretty enough, but he could not find the proper motivation to seriously contemplate dating any of them for whatever reason.
"Uh huh, not even that Delacour girl?" Rose wheedled, banishing the small amount of dust on the frame of Catherine's painting with a wave of her hand. Wait, hand? That was certainly something to explore in detail later. "She's quite pretty, you know."
"That could be a interesting date, if only to see Bella's reaction." Hadrian chuckled, easily able to imagine that particular meltdown. "Bella's never been sociable, but I haven't seen her hate someone like she does Delacour before. It's pretty intense."
"Maybe they're too much alike." Rose proposed lightly, smirking mischievously at her next thought. "Or maybe Bella likes her. Like 'likes' her."
"Are you kidding me?" Hadrian asked incredulously, giving his younger sister a look that said he was clearly questioning her sanity. "The only interest Bella has in Fleur Delacour is homicide."
"Maybe, but have you ever known Bella to like a boy? Really like one?" Rose questioned pointedly, before glancing over at the portrait and idly debating whisking the painting of her personal heroine away from the forgotten halls to her dormitory [03i]. "Because as far as I know, she's only hated them."
"That's because there are no boys in this castle worth her notice." He replied stiffly, trying to ignore the flash of possessiveness in his gut. As if he would allow one of those walking brain-dead plebeians and mongrels near either of his sisters.
"All the more reason for Bella to have an interest in the fairer sex." Rose added, observing her brother closely. "Maybe she likes Delacour, but isn't sure how to feel about it, so she falls back on the tried and true method of schoolyard taunts. She isn't exactly the type to show her interest with flowers and chocolates."
"C'mon, Rose, do you really think Bella has the hots for Delacour?" Hadrian questioned doubtfully, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm decently sure Bella is straight."
"Why, because of the games we played as children?" Rose asked bluntly, watching as her brother froze at the mention. "You remember them. Medi-wizard. Sleeping Beauty. Bella never could play that last one right; she kept returning the kiss."
"Rose, that was a long time ago." He murmured defensively, turning to study Catherine of Russia who in turn was watching the conversation with great interest. "We were just kids playing around."
"Before Mum found out, we were always playing." Rose gave a bittersweet smile. "Bella and I always tried to see who could sneak in the most kisses on you. Mum was so mad at us, but we kept playing our games until she threatened to send you to live with Uncle Sirius. That was when the kisses stopped."
"Stop it, Rose." Hadrian warned with a glare, the memories of their old games together brought a feeling of heartsick to his chest. He longed for those simpler times, before they discovered how wrong it all was, before their Mum found out. They were happy then.
"You still miss those days. Back when it was just you and us." Rose accused softly, creeping closer to her brother. He refused to back away from her, allowing her to get close. "Did you ever stop wanting us, Brother?"
Hadrian wanted to deny her accusation, but could not find the resolve, nor his own thoughts on the matter earlier. Not wanting to further explore that scandalous train of inquiry in a place with potential ears and eyes however, he instead said nothing.
Undeterred by his silence, Rose moved in closer still, until their bodies were only 10 centimetres (cm) apart. "I know you do, Brother Mine. I can see it in your eyes." She whispered huskily to him, for the intense feelings she had always held towards her Beloved Brother, long dampened, had roared back with a vengeance since the aftermath of their bath by dragonfire. She did not know exactly how the two occurrences were connected, only that it was not a coincidence.
Overcome with his own long suppressed desires for his younger Sister, Hadrian forcibly pulled her into his embrace, panting harshly. Despite wanting to feel more than his Sister's sweet form pressed flush against his front, he still had enough sense of mind to not progress any further, at least under the intrigued gaze of Catherine no less.
Rose, pleasantly surprised by his bold move, could only bury her face into the crook of his neck, inhaling his intoxicatingly masculine scent. Oh how she wished she could do more for and to him, though she took consolation in the fact that their relationship as sister and brother just took an irrevocable direction towards something greater and more intimate. Something that she knew was meant to be. Despite her flirty nature, she was no romantic. Yet she knew that the connection and bond she and her siblings shared were not common at all, not that she would have it any other way.
Voicing her next intended line of thought, Hadrian growled hotly into her ear, "You knew damn well what you were trying to provoke in me, you little minx. If we don't stop now…" Hadrian shuddered, hoping and fearing in equal measure for what was left unspoken. With a reluctant sigh, he pulled away from her.
Rose was unrepentant, still gazing at him with a smouldering look [03j]. "Well, Brother Mine, now that we have come out of our denial, let's find Bella. We still need to sit down together and discuss our plans for the dragon eggs" [03k].
Agreeing with her statement on both counts, Hadrian and Rose took each other's hand, just like they frequently used to do, and began to take a walk to process this new development in their relationship. They stopped near a suit of armour, twisting the hilt of the sword clasped in the gauntlets which caused the stone wall to part, revealing a secret passage that would lead them to the outside wall of the Divination Tower.
== November 28, 2014, A Secret Passageway Leading to the Hogwarts Grounds ==
The cool, stale air of the passageway was soothing to Hadrian, allowing him to think of his elder sister, Bella. He was not sure whether she had come to a similar conclusion, even though their history together should lead to an affirmative response. Nevertheless, he loved her dearly, and would do nothing to potentially jeopardise one of his closest bonds until both parties were one the same page.
Soon, Hadrian and Rose reached the end of the passage and pressed the round stone at waist height that would open the door to the outside. It opened, causing a cool autumn breeze to caress their faces as they exited onto the springy green grass. They inhaled the fresh air, then turned right with the intention taking a quick stroll around the field.
Instead, they came face to face with four surprised girls clad in the blue silk dress uniforms of the Beauxbatons Academy with several buttons undone, giving him tantalising glimpses of their cleavages. Three were brunettes, all rather attractive in their own way with differing figures that ranged from voluptuous to petite, but all three paled in comparison to the otherworldly Fleur Delacour who stood in the centre.
Rose, who was normally cheerful, had a slight frown on her pretty face. She just convinced her Beloved Brother to no longer repress his desires for Bella and herself, so sue her for not wanting other people to derail this moment dammit! Her reluctance to be rude stayed her tongue.
"I didn't mean to startle you, ladies." Hadrian said apologetically, his face still tranquil from the earlier conversation. The girls glanced between one another uncertainly, seeming to communicate without words. He felt a flare of irritation, wanting to finish this stroll so that they could go and find Bella.
"Non, it is fine." Fleur waved off, giving the siblings curious looks, before landing her eyes on their still intertwined hands. 'Perhaps my earlier shot to his other bitchy sister is not so far off the mark, non?' Her blue eyes trailed from their hands, the sister, the striking young man, and finally to the now sealed entrance of the passageway. "Interesting way to get around. Was that a secret passageway?"
"Yes, it was." He confirmed absently, frowning at the French Champion's three friends who kept smirking and whispering to one another. He wondered what they were talking about.
"Are there more of these passages?" Fleur questioned with interest, quieting the girls next to her with a quick glare. He was mildly impressed by her control of them. It was obvious she was the leader of the little gang.
"Hogwarts has many secrets." Hadrian smirked, glancing up at the castle fondly. Despite all the dangers of the past several years, he was very proud of his school. Sure, he was certain that there were other schools with more comprehensive education or elegant architecture, but there was only one Hogwarts.
"And you know these secrets?" Fleur asked, her lovely hair moving in an unseen wind. The French witch's blue eyes seemed to glow mysteriously, drawing him in. She looked so pretty, like one of the Fae straight from a childhood story. Those perfect, kissable lips slowly formed words, "Tell me of them."
"Only the Founders knew all of the castle's secrets." Hadrian replied as a bolt of lust for the blond struck him. He shook his head, trying to clear it of the sudden desire.
By now, Rose was definitely becoming annoyed. Who did this girl think she was, trying to ensnare her Brother like a bad stereotype of her species?! Her senses told her as much that Delacour was a Veela. It mattered none that her Brother was someone of tremendous willpower; what did matter was that she had the audacity to even attempt such a degrading parlour trick on him. Just as she was about to tell the rude French girl to politely fuck off however, her Brother seemed to overcome her Allure.
"But I don't have the time to play tour guide right now. Maybe another day." Hadrian quickly righted himself. "And if you want one, perhaps it's better to approach them honestly than ensnaring one and hoping they'll give out secrets like candy, hmm?" Despite being annoyed by her unsanctioned blast of Allure, he was scolding himself for being caught off guard like that.
A stunned look appeared on Fleur's face, one that Hadrian noted as he tugged an unamused Rose along as they continued on their way.
"Wait!" Fleur called out, making him turn around as she jogged lightly over to him. His gaze was briefly drawn to wonderful effects jogging had on her pert breasts. Knowing she had to correct her blunder, she offered, "My sincerest apologies to you both, Mr. and Ms. Eveschatten. It was not my intention to cause you undue harm, Mr. Eveschatten."
"And just what makes you think that we won't simply report this attempt to the Ministry, hmm? Knowing the British Ministry's views on so called Dark Creatures, can you afford the penalty?" Rose vindictively said.
Although Fleur knew she was in the wrong, her pride would not allow herself to be threatened that way. "Besides the fact a Veela's Allure leaves no trace on the recipient if done infrequently, I have no legal recourse in stopping you filing a charge against me. However, I will swear a Magical Oath of never attempting another Allure broadcast on your family again unless granted permission to do so, if that is what you desire."
While Hadrian did not like it, he felt that Fleur and his own got off on the wrong foot on multiple occasions. Besides, there was still a potential connection to be made with the French competitor. With a quick look to Rose, his sister knew he had something in mind. "Very well Ms. Delacour, we accept your apology. And an oath is not needed."
Before Fleur could fully relax however, Rose added, "Don't mistake our forgiveness for kindness, Ms. Delacour. There will not be a second time offense of this nature. I hope we are clear on that point."
The mild but firm tone she used to deliver that statement definitely helped Fleur to see things their way.
Intending to put the awkwardness behind her, Fleur quickly looked to Hadrian and made a suggestion, "If you're free, perhaps you could give us that tour next Saturday. Say… five in the evening?"
Surprised by Delacour's bold flirting so soon after the meeting, Hadrian mentally weighed the benefits against the drawbacks. On the one hand, she was very beautiful and had quite the devious streak, which would keep things interesting. It was also entirely possible he would be able to learn useful information about her connections, Wz. French politics, and the Tournament from her or her friends that he could share with his family. On the other hand, there was no doubt that Fleur's offer was to her benefit. Not only would she learn more about the actual layout of the school, she would also try to use him in order to gather information on Neville and Cedric. Well, too bad for her then, because he had no intentions of being a selfless fool [03l]. After her surprise at his resistance to her Allure, he was curious as to which way she would play the game. He had to consider Bella's reaction as well, something that could prove very amusing. Hadrian then mentally sent his thoughts on the matter to Rose, letting her know of his decision.
"I think I would enjoy that prospect very much, Ms. Delacour." Hadrian said with a devilish grin, fully intending to milk this opportunity for all it was worth. He gave a brief bow to the ladies a bit behind Fleur, who were whispering among one another again. "I'll see you all on Saturday. Be sure to dress warmly."
Hadrian waked away with Rose without turning back Fleur's reaction. They had an sister to bring into the fold and plans of dragons to discuss after all [03m].
© Hadrian von Eveschatten, 2019
End Author's Notes
And here concludes the rewrite of Ch. 02 of DH3H. As you can see, Neville's crippling injury is here to stay. In DH3H, Bella comes off as vicious without restraint. In this story, while Bella can and will still be brutal towards her enemies and other serious offenders, she acknowledges that Edgecombe did not deserve that level of pain and humiliation. This means that she usually modulates her response depending on how severely another party offends or tries to harm her. Daphne is introduced as an natural ally and friend of Bella; it helps that both of them have similar standoffish demeanors. Hadrian's and Rose's scene definitely takes a different turn than the one in DH3H, does it not [03j]? And lastly, Fleur's first full interaction with the Eveschattens changes from just Hadrian to both Hadrian and Rose as a result of the different direction the two siblings' talk takes.
I tried to write the dialogues as naturally as possible. Let me know what you think of them and how they can be improved.
Well, that concludes my DH3H Ch. 02 rewrite. Please leave your comments, suggestions, and critiques below in the review and comments section. And because this story is till in its infancy, feel free to offer ideas for plot progression.
Footnotes
[03a] In Ch. 02 of DH3H, Ivy/Bella keeps referring to Hermione as 'Muggleborn'. Now Bella is a definite Slytherin, but in my opinion, she is too smart to buy into the 'purity of blood correlating with magic potency' nonsense. Hence, in my story, Bella calls her by 'girl' or 'Granger', not because she has any problem with her background, but simply because Hermione is too worshipful of authority figures, which comes off as brown-nosing to people who are not feeling charitable in their opinions.
[03b] Daphne! Enough said (one can look at both my profile and the number of Haphne stories I followed or/and favourited to realise how big of a fan of the Hadrian × Daphne pairing I am.).
[03c] Yes, the lack of capitalisation on 'father' serves a purpose, and that is Hadrian does not hold James Potter in high esteem as he does with his Sisters and Mother.
[03d] For anyone who happened to have read Harry Potter the Wolf King (WK), by dingo-822, yes, my Hadrian's possessive feelings towards his close female relations are very much like that of his counterpart in WK. Except in E3DC, Hadrian is even more extreme in his possessiveness; he will never consent to even the mere thought of other men being with his Sisters and Mother for the sake of disguising their incestuous relationship.
[03e] As promised in E3DC's opening Author's Notes, Hadrian's zealotry and hard-on for the primacy of family is toned down compared to DH3H. I made sure that the 'Live for family; die for family.' motto is only on firm ground insofar his current familial relations; any change to the current composition may result in a revisiting of said motto.
[03f] Lucretia is a female original character (OC) of my creation. As for her mother, Adrasteia, knowledgeable readers should know I took inspiration from Noodlehammer's For Love of Magic, the first book of their HP duology. Adrasteia is a rather fitting name for the yet to be introduced character, considering the Greek origin (see Nemesis) and meaning ("the inescapable") of the name. As one can see, Adrasteia is someone who knows her history, thus using 'Adrasteia' instead of 'Adrastia' for herself and gave her daughter the original Roman name instead of the Italian version, 'Lucrezia'.
For people who adhere to normal Chinese naming conventions, their Romanticised names are almost always three phonetic sounds long (except for instances of a person having a two phonetic sounds long surname, meaning that their entire name will be four phonetic sounds long). Also, the two characters of one's first name (except when one's first name is only one character) is grouped together, meaning that there is no convention of having a middle name.
As one will notice, Tracey's, Luna's, and Fleur's middle names are not given, because Hadrian has yet to know them well enough. Astoria is a different case, for Hadrian and his sister have definitely interacted with her enough from the scene description.
[03g] Hadrian's musing contains the list of females, besides his family, whom he is on good terms with. Some of them are shortlisted for his eventual expanded collective, though the rest will still be at least friendly to the Eveschattens' causes.
[03h] This is a snapshot of a portion of Hadrian's moral worldview.
[03i] TheLaughingMan1 was not trying to be subtle about Rose's ambitions when he wrote that line was he. You will not find an objection from me though.
[03j] I try to convey a direct connection between the awakening of the siblings' Valyrian dragon blood and the reawakening of their desires for one another.
[03k] I almost forgot the cliffhanger of Ch. 02 when I wrote this part, so I quickly inserted a mention of the dragon eggs to provide linkage to the previous chapter. I feel it is more appropriate for the discussion between the siblings to be held in the future, probably in Ch. 04. Lily will definitely be party to the discussion as well, since the siblings plan on raising the dragons on the island that contains Skye Cottage, off of the Isle of Skye.
And speaking of the Isle of Skye, I just discovered that it is in Scotland. DH3H only mentions Skye and an isle off of it, so when I first read the story, I searched for Isle for Skye and indeed found it to be within the U.K. I should have spent a few more minutes back then confirming the location, because I am just learning that there is no Isle of Skye within Wales. For the sake of the story, unless someone can point me towards an island with more of a Welsh connection to use, I will just assume that House Potter owns that island, or maybe the Evans passed it down the Lily.
[03l] Beyond general friendliness, Hadrian will not be wasting his time bothering to keep track of any of the competitor's progress and plans for the TWT.
[03m] Yeah, I know this chapter ends on a cliffhanger again, although a mild one. I plan to include both the sibling attraction conversation and the one regarding dragon eggs in the next chapter, which will be the first chapter in the story that is entirely my work, at different points. It just feels more organic this way.