Hi Guys! I'm dedicating this chapter to AvalonTheLadyKiller, because she/he has without fail reviewed for every chapter :) thanks for that!
Warnings: Look to Prologue/Chapter 1
Disclaimer: I AM NOT A BILLIONAIRE DUE TO MY SUCCESSFUL BOOK SERIES GOD DAMMIT, NO MATTER HOW MUCH I WANT TO BE :(
Chapter 3: The Little Trouble Maker
April 21, 1982- Slytherin Manor, Unplottable Location.
Nagini's excitement with the "Little Lord" ended soon enough, as Hadrian chose the large reptile to be his newest form of personal entertainment. He would go around with her everywhere, babbling along in his childish speech in Parseltongue. Tom found it hilarious that his son-who barely qualified as a toddler-was dragging along his unwilling familiar everywhere, especially since she was feared by most of the wizarding world. Nagini, of course, refused to admit that she was being dragged along by a child of less than two years of age and wouldn't talk to Tom for long periods of time whenever the Slytherin Lord brought up the subject.
Luckily for Nagini, Hadrian eventually found something new to entertain himself with, and the large hybrid was given some peace from the little menace.
One Saturday afternoon, Hadrian escaped his Watcher's eyes and went out into the garden from which he could see the vast forest that surrounded Slytherin Manor. Hadrian immediately became fixated on the forest, talking and asking about nothing else even many days after.
Tom was worried that his son might decide to go into the forest and get himself hurt or even permanently disfigured. Tom couldn't even use his magical 'gaze' that he had as Lord of Slytherin Manor and its grounds, as the dense trees and foliage shrouded itself in an aura of darkness, much like the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts. Not that he was a stranger to the more questionable side of Magic, but the forests surrounding the Manor were untamed and unknown, something he did not want his heir to become victim to some unknown beast in the forest before Tom could save his only child.
So Tom put a tracking charm on Hadrian's favorite woven bracelet that was already filled with protection runes and charms. After all, nothing mattered more to Tom than his family-though he would never admit to it out loud-and he would go to any lengths to protect them, even if it meant his own life. As long as his family was safe and protected, nothing else mattered. Not to say that Tom wasn't ambitious; he was, after all, the leader of the Dark Sect in one of the magical communities with the most potential-in Tom's opinion, that is. Although his vision for the wizarding world may horrify some-mainly the sheep that were the light witches and wizards of Magical Britain-his Lillian had approved the final outlines for his plans. That isn't to say that she had agreed with his first draft of his plans; in fact, she despised some of his original goals, most of which had been more on the violent side of things.
But with his bonded's help, he no longer wished for the eradication of muggles and mudbloods, nor any of his other goals that were not, for all intents and purposes, ah, sane or logical. For example, his aforementioned desire to eradicate over six billions humans, thus eradicating the possibility of the eradication of the wizarding world. It made sense in his mind, yet not to any one else, apparently. Well, he supposed that not many could casually think about genocide over a mug of butterbeer. Even if it is about the annihilation of the filth, Tom thought with a sneer. However, if his Lillian thought genocide to be illogical, then he would listen to her, as she was as close to a moral compass as he could get. If nothing else, she could curb some of his worst tendencies to lash out, most of which were cultivated during his time at the cursed orphanage.
That cursed orphanage where he had learned to trust no one, to rely on himself for everything, for no one cared. Sucked into a daze, Tom was swept off into a whirl of emotions and memories. He saw himself, how he had cried out at night, hoping, wishing, wanting for someone to save him, to help him. No one had spared him a glance when he was in rags and his face gaunt due to the lack of nutrients given to him at the orphanage. No one had cared. No one. Even when Dumbledore had retrieved him from the hellhole had thought to tell him that he was the Heir of Slytherin, which would have saved him time and effort that he used to persuade the rest of Slytherin House that he wasn't just a nameless and weak mudblood. All the pain that he used to mould himself into someone strong, resilient and unbreakable, someone they would respect. Once he had proved them wrong, he had felt so powerful, as if nothing could stop him.
It wasn't until he got back to orphanage-without his magic to protect him- that he realized how weak he truly was. He was weak, worthless, unimportant, someone who would never amount to anything. These thoughts spiraled into a mantra of self-hate that had never gone away, no matter how much Tom wished it to. Worthless. Freak. All you'll ever be is a little freak, Tom, you should have known as much, his thoughts screamed at him, nearly driving the usually stoic and composed Dark Lord to his knees.
As if sensing his distress, his Lillian walked into the garden where he was being torn apart by his own malicious thoughts. She didn't say anything to him, just let her aura surround him, radiating her love for him. Lillian held him close, murmuring soft words of encouragement and positives that her magic echoed as it wrapped its bonded into a healing embrace. As Tom started to relax, Lillian slowly coaxed through her own memories of Tom through the bond. She sent memories where he was strong, powerful and most importantly she sent the memories that showed him that he was undoubtedly good enough. That Tom was good enough for their son, good enough to reshape the prejudice of the wizarding world, good enough for her.
Slowly, Tom's mind started to heal itself over as he woke himself up from his poisonous thoughts and memories as he sat, shaking as Lillian held onto him, showing that she cared. That she would never let him go through his demons alone. They were fighting his demons together, until he wouldn't have these attacks anymore and he could sleep at night without the nightmares to come and ruin him.
That's what these attacks were doing to him, not that he let it show to anybody outside his small group of friends and family. His demons were disintegrating him from the inside out, and he knew he had to get them out of his head before they got in the way of his everyday life. Instead of thinking the painful process that would eventually heal his mind, he let himself cling to his bonded as he let his impenetrable façade drop just for a moment.
-HCR-
April 21, 1982- The Nursery, Slytherin Manor, Unplottable Location.
Hadrian was confused. He didn't understand why his Dada didn't want to go into the pretty trees. Didn't his Dada see the pretty lights and shadows coming from the trees? Hadrian did; he could see the way they wrapped around himself, which was both shadows and lights yet not at all. Hadrian believed that he wasn't made up of lights or shadows but that he was a mix of the two, yet not at all. However, Hadrian didn't think his light-shadows mattered too much. What mattered to him were the trees. What were in the trees? Hadrian resolved to find out, no matter what his Dada said. Hadrian peeked over the railing of his crib so that he could see the pretty trees that had the pretty leaves and the pretty grass, not to mention the pretty lights and shad- was that a horsey? Horseys were one of Hadrian's favorite animals ever! Hadrian thought that all horseys were really pretty, too. The toddler's brow scrunched as he thought, he wanted to see the horseys and the light-shadows now!
With that wish, Hadrian disappeared without a sound.
-HCR-
Hi There!
Don't worry, you'll find out what happened to our little Hadrian in the next chapter :) btw, there is some foreshadowing/hints for the future in this chapter... I wonder if you guys can find them all!
I'm actually really excited to keep going with this story, because I've recently figured out a bunch of things I want to have happen :D
Bella
P.S.- Reviews are extremely helpful to my writing process, especially when you guys ask me something that I didn't think about before or something to that extent.
Reviews:
cynder93: I think you'll find that Remus is very much in the dark right now (pun not intended, he's more neutral at the moment), but will eventually come around :) not saying when, though. hint: I love RL/SB pairings and I know that there isn't much that is more important to a wolf (or werewolf for that matter) than their life mate. *wink wink nudge nudge*
AvalonTheLadyKiller: thanks so much for ALL of the reviews you've given me- I'm blushing :)