Cannot Fathom Without You
Hello again everyone. I apologize for the long wait, but here we are!
Translation for the letter:
Hello dear! I know you miss me!
I am writing to let you know that I'm fine. I miss you!
I am also writing to you to let you know that my mother is sick. The doctor said she will recover, so do not worry!
I wish you well, and I await your response!
Chapter 10: It's Never That Simple.
Hadrian felt his eyes twitch as he was lead from the warmth of the Great Hall to the icy cold of the Dungeons where the Slytherin House was located.
The man leading them was a dark and dour one. He eyed Hadrian like he was the cause for all wrongs done in the wizarding world.
Severus Snape. Hadrian knew the man disliked him, but it almost seemed as if he were specifically angry at Hadrian himself. He had half a mind to ask this man what his problem was.
That, unfortunately, would be counterproductive.
He had planned not to draw attention to himself in the House of Snakes. If he could fade into the background here, it would be an accomplishment in and of itself.
He knew his blood status would constantly be called into question, as no one truly knew who his father was. Rumors and speculations. The question could have only been answered by his mother, but everyone assumed her dead.
There was one rumor that he was the bastard son of one of the Lestrange brothers. Another that he was Snapes' flesh and blood. An interesting rumor said he was Voldemort's son.
Hadrian had half a mind to snort at that rumor. Honestly… Give the bored student populous something gossip over, and it goes wild.
He almost groaned as a few first years had asked him if Hagrid was his father. He merely sneered at the future gossip mongers and asked. "Do I look like my mother had bad taste?"
Honestly! Even Sirius Black was barely good enough for his mother! Though he did wonder how no one made the connection to James and Lilly Potter.
He had seen the pictures his mother had given him. He did resemble them quite a bit. So how is it that no one noticed?
He fingered the pendant his mother gave him, and felt like smacking himself for his lapse. Of course his mother would protect him, even when she could not be close.
Normal glamors were easy to spot, if the person wearing them were not so great at casting them. His uncle must have cast the spell on the pendant. The Croÿ family pendant…A magical item. No one would spot the glamors among the many protection magics that already clung to the dangling decoration.
He felt the corner of his mouth twitch up at the thought of the care and love his family had put into his protections.
He had to close his eyes to re from his façade. It wouldn't do to let it slip before he even got to the common room!
Draco watched Hadrian's face as he fingered the pendant. He silently wondered the same thing. Why had no one linked Hadrian's appearance to the late Potters?
The slight grin that crooked into the corner of Hadrian's mouth, and the way he carefully tucked the pendant into his robes answered that.
Draco shrugged. Hadrian had made him swear an oath. It wouldn't have mattered anyway. This was Draco's friend, and Hadrian was someone Draco would never double cross.
"I really hope we get to room together." Draco muttered to Hadrian.
He gave a sly grin to his silver eyed companion. "I don't doubt it. I always seem to end up stuck in your pleasant company."
Draco's eyes crinkled at the corners a little. "Indeed." He said in a bored tone.
Harry had to control his lips from cracking into a grin.
He knew he had not offended Draco in the slightest. His prat of a best mate was only pretending to be offended so as Hadrian would have to 'make it up to him'.
Severus Snape was not a patient man. Least of all when it came to the upper years. By now, he figured they should know better than to test him. But the gossiping behind him was making his eye twitch!
The boy looked nothing like him! How simple could they be?
He resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose, remembering that he was supposed to be shaping these young minds. What did that say about him if he didn't handle this as a proper Slytherin should?
The trek down to the Slytherin common room was longer than he remembered, but when he finally found the large painting that covered the entrance, he had to bite back the sigh of relief.
"Queen Mab." He said to the portrait of a petite blond woman dressed in the white silk toga. A large black snake slithering along her feet.
"Greetings Professor and students." Her whispery voice echoed slightly as the portrait opened.
Severus couldn't help but to remember his days as he watched the awe that the students greeted the lavish common room.
Light grey marble with slight green veins were charmed to keep warm while the large cheery fireplace was going strong.
The large, circular, emerald green rug that decorated the floor was soft, and held no discernable pattern to it, but it kept the large grey and overstuffed couches from scraping across the floor.
Severus remembered many a night where he fell asleep on one of those couches. He knew a few of his students would probably do the same.
There was one student who did not show his amazement, Hadrian Croÿ. The boy wasn't looking at the furniture or the room. He was looking at one of the many portraits that decorated the wall.
Salazar Slytherin was lounging on a stiff looking armchair in the portrait. He nodded his head to Hadrian, but held a finger up to his lips. Hadrian nodded, and kept silent.
Snape just shook his head. He knew this was going to be an interesting year.
"Gather around. I will assign you roommates, and will tell you the Slytherin rules."
It took a minuet for the first years to completely gather round, but they did so quietly.
"First off, we help our own. When in the halls, if you see another student about to curse one of your housemates, do not hesitate to have their back. Even if you do not particularly get along with your housemates, that is to be worked out in private. For seven years, this will be your family.
I will not tolerate arguing outside of the Slytherin common room. We have to stand as one, or fall as one. That is part of the Slytherin code."
As he was explaining, he noticed several people shoot looks at the Croÿ heir.
"Despite blood purity, we are all here for education. Whatever issues you may have, you may take them up with myself, or an older student."
. . .
Draco Malfoy sighed as he eyed his roommate. "Honestly Hadrian, it could be worse." He tried to comfort his green eyed companion.
Hadrian hummed his agreement softly. "I understand. I am not contrite with our arrangements. I am just thinking over some things."
Draco's head tilted. "What things?" he wondered softly.
"The man in the portrait… Salazar Slytherin. It looked like he didn't want me here. He wasn't very happy to see me. I wonder why."
Draco's smirk widened. "Did he sneer at you?" Hadrian shook his head in the negative.
"No. It was the disdain in his eyes. As if I were the one to hate. He and Snape both have been giving me these spite filled looks. How am I to thrive when there are those who want to hold me down?"
Draco's smirk fell away. He shrugged. "You break their hands? Make it to where they cannot hold you down anymore?" He offered his suggestion with sincere thought.
Hadrian looked at Draco with slight surprise. "You really want me to break your god father's hands?"
Draco shrugged. "He should know better by now than to get in the way of a Croÿ . He isn't a child, Hadrian. Besides… Broken hands heal."
Hadrian gave Draco a sharp look. "Not when I break them."
Draco only gave Hadrian a smirk. "Somehow, I don't doubt it."
Edmund was watching as the current Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, sign some important documents that he required. He nodded to Fudge. "Thank you Minister. I will see to it that we have the best entertainment for the gala tonight. My wife would love to help your assistant with the accommodations." The offer was only made to start his plot off at the right point.
Willow, or Alice DeMitri as he had forged several documents for her now, would have her hand full with the baby, and now this gala, but he was confident she could handle it.
It was with a 'playful' smirk that he nodded to the Minister as tea was served for the both of them by the simpering Umbridge woman.
It almost sickened him how simpering she was to Fudge, but he kept his face straight. "I am glad that you've seen that there needs to be changes made to the school system to allow teachers that are actually able to teach."
Umbridge straightened and gave that annoying "Hem, Hem!"
Edmund turned to look at the woman as well as Fudge. "Yes Dolores?" Fudge wondered. "Well Minister, it's just I don't quite understand what this bill means. Would you, or Mr. DeMitri care to explain it to me?"
Edmund frowned. "The bill states that so long as a creature can prove that it can handle itself, and is credited, it may attempt to apply for a teaching position in any British wizarding school."
Dolores Umbridge frowned, her hideous lips pulled into a deep frown. "I don't believe that is a good idea. Creatures are such fowl things. Why even give them a chance?" she said, her frog like face not helping Edmund's opinion of her. "Especially around children."
Edmund smirked. It hardly matter what she said, as he knew he had Fudge fully under his whims, but he let the pink clad thing make its statement. He did so love putting people in their place.
"Madam Umbridge… Are you insinuating that magical creatures are less than ourselves?" he asked carefully.
The woman's frown only deepened. "Why of course. They are stupid creatures."
"I dare you to tell that to a werewolf, or a vampire, let alone a veela. They would rip you to shreds, verbally of course." He added when she paled. "They are intelligent. Who do you think invented a special potion for burns? A vampire did. He called it 'Alter Ardet'. It is widely used in every house hold today. Even St. Mungo's employs this vampire from time to time."
He watched her expression grow forlorn as he spoke. She herself had been treated with that very potion a few times in her youth. To learn that it came from a vampire… It broke her heart a little.
"But they will hurt the children."
"Not if they have their conditions in control. There will be several humane tests to determine such a thing." Edmund countered.
"By right, they are still part of the magical community. To shut them out would be a shame, and it would only give the dark more power than they already have." Fudge butted in. Edmund's words wringing in his ears.
"Indeed. And that, would be a shame."
Edmund was about to continue when a familiar head poked in. Dante Hallow. Edmund could almost feel a growl coming, but held back.
"Lo Minister, Miss Umbridge. There you are Edmund! You are needed on the third floor. The secretary of the DMLE insists."
Edmund rolled his eyes. "Of course she does." He almost hissed.
Hadrian rolled his eyes as they made their way to breakfast the next morning. Draco had taken forever to fix his hair. Hadrian had simply ran his fingers through his hair and been done with it.
He shifted his tie, having tied it to tight this morning. Draco rolled his eyes as Hadrian huffed at him.
Blaise was eyeing Hadrian's neck, and Theo had to smack him upside the head. "Don't even think about it." He warned Blaise.
They entered the Great Hall, and suddenly silence fell upon the many students there. Almost all eyes were on Hadrian, but he straightened up and continued towards his table, but was suddenly surrounded by three red heads.
"So Adrian…"
"We heard,"
"That you had,"
"A rough night."
Hadrian had to close his eyes as Fred and George pulled their twin act. It was a bit dizzying for him.
"I may have had a bit of trouble sleeping, but it is a new place." He looked to where Draco and Ron were glaring at one another.
"Please don't start it this early in the morning. I already have a headache." He almost hissed at Draco and Ron.
Both of them blinked at him. "Sure." They both said, and relaxed almost immediately. Hadrian smiled and nodded his thanks to them both.
As soon as Hadrian and Draco made it to the table, owls arrived. A huge brown brawny owl landed in front of Hadrian.
He took the envelope from the owl's beak, and gave it some bacon. The owl hooted at him softly before settling down to wait for his reply.
He looked down to the pretty ivory envelope with his name artfully scrawled on the front. He frowned, and used his wand to check it for curses or traps. None showed up.
He opened it, and read it slowly.
Hadrian,
Bonjour Cher! Je sais que vous avez oublié de moi!
Je vous écris pour vous faire savoir que je vais bien. Tu me manques!
Je suis également vous écris pour vous faire savoir que ma mère est malade. Le médecin a dit qu'elle va récupérer, donc ne vous inquiétez pas!
Je vous souhaite bien, et j'attends votre réponse!
Sincerely,
Anne
He chuckled at the French letter. Anne truly did miss him. It was sad to know that her mother was sick though. Thankfully, Clare would survive.
He pulled a sheet of parchment out and started his reply.
Anne,
Hello Cher!
It is nice to hear from you. I am well as well. I made Slytherin house in Hogwarts! How is Beauxbatons going?
I am sorry to hear about your mother, but I am happy to know she will be ok.
I am very happy to hear from you, and await our next exchange.
Sincerely,
Hadrian.
He smiled as he tied the letter to the owl. The pretty brown owl took flight.
Draco read the open letter over his shoulder. "Anne's mother is ill?" he said with a frown.
Hadrian only nodded before putting correct portion sizes of breakfast onto his plate and tea in his goblet. "Eat before we are late." He warned Draco.
. . .
Potions… Joy. The first class of the day was Potions. He rolled his eyes as he and Draco sat in the dank dungeons waiting for Professor Snape to show up.
He rolled his eyes at Draco as the boy kept poking at his side. "Quit it!" he hissed out silently. Draco gave him a smirk. He was about to open his mouth when the door swung open.
"Put your wands away. There will be no silly wand waving in this class." Snape demanded. The Slytherins had already done so, but there was a quiet shuffling as the rest of the class moved to do as instructed.
As Snape went through his speech, his eyes danced around the room to land on Hadrian, and suddenly a coldness slipped through those eyes.
Hadrian's eyes narrowed, but he held silent. To argue with a professor would be bad, but to argue with the head of house was worse.
To argue with the head of Slytherin house was suicide. Present a strong front. That was a Slytherin rule.
He looked down, breaking the eye contact, and the edges of Snape's mouth curled just a bit into a snarky sneer.
"Tell me, Croÿ, what will I get if I add Powdered Root of Asphodel to an infusion of Wormwood?"
Green eyes narrowed as they looked up to meet black eyes. "They make sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death." He responded with a little bit of defiance.
"Where would you look if I tell you to find me a Bezoar?" Snape challenged again.
"A Bezoar is a stone, taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from the most poisons."
A muggle born, Hermione Granger was raising her hand in desperation. Almost whining for the professor to pick her.
"What is the difference between Monkshood and Wolfsbane?"
"They are the same." He scowled. Snape's eyes narrowed, but that coldness disappeared. "20 points to Slytherin."
Granger's hand fell to the desk with a soft 'thud'. Her look screamed disappointment, and Draco's smug smirk could be seen a mile away.
So the snarky dungeon bat had been testing him! To see if he had what it took.
He almost felt insulted, but decided to simply enjoy this small victory. He knew there would be bigger challenges in the long run.
. . .
Defense Against the Dark Arts was interesting. Their professor was a stuttering mess, true. Something told Hadrian that he was one of Tom's agents though. Maybe it was the slight sneer he got from the man, being related to Alcied Croÿ.
He rolled his eyes at his obvious professor. The stutter was fabricated. Hadrian knew because occasionally, he would drop it. Not enough for a lot of people to notice, but he was sure that half the older Slytherins had to have caught on to this man.
But as those hazel eyes pinned him with slight hatred, he knew that compared to this man, Professor Snape's faked hatred was nothing.
By the end of the lesson, Hadrian was sure of one thing. This man intended to kill him.
. . .
Herbology had been fun. He had learned that belladonna was harvested during the noon phase when you wanted to use it for one thing, or the midnight phase when you wanted to use it for something completely different.
While he had learned much under the tutelage of his mother, father, and uncle, he knew he still had a bit more to learn, and he enjoyed that thought. He secretly revealed in the thought that the world always had more knowledge to offer him.
He also enjoyed Charms very much, having learned the levitation spell. He couldn't help but to snicker as the muggleborn Granger had to tell Ron how to pronounce the spell.
Poor Ronald's ear would not return from the pruce color.
. . .
It wasn't until lunch that his observation from DADA had come true. A lot of older Slytherin students had begun flanking the younger ones. They sort of created a shield around them, as if expecting the fake professor to come around the corner and start flinging spells.
Hadrian expected that Snape had been told of Quirrell. He also expected that the head of Slytherin house would hound the fake professor to the ends of the earth.
"Here you go Hadrian." Sylvia Moon muttered as she passed him a goblet. "Thank you very much Moon!" Hadrian responded with a nod to go along with his words.
She gave him a sweet smile. Sylvia Moon was a sixth year Slytherin prefect. It was her duty to make sure the first and second years were taken care of.
She soon passed another goblet to Draco. "Thank you Moon."
"So what do you think about that stuttering professor?" Draco asked Hadrian as Hadrian finished his Transfiguration homework.
"He is a fake. I don't understand how Dumbledore hired a professor that cannot even articulate enough to actually teach."
Draco opened his mouth to call Hadrian out on the 'stutter', but a look from said boy stopped him. It was a look that said: 'We are first years, we aren't supposed to notice these things… Shut up.'
Giving Hadrian a sheepish smile, he went back to his Potions Essay. "Have you gotten an answer on how to skin boomslag?"
"You have to do it while it's alive." Hadrian said.
Draco paled a bit. "Sounds… Excruciating."
Hadrian laughed. "It is not as if you are getting skinned alive Draco."
"Thanks for that answer, Hadrian."
Hadrian simply nodded. Draco had honestly known it, but it was more to show everyone else in the common room how close they were that Hadrian would not demand a price on the information for Draco.
Draco and his silly power plays. What a flare for the dramatics.
Hadrian decided that it was probably best to refocus on his homework before he got any ideas on making a power play of his own.
Voldemort was not happy when his followers told him that the French Minister had been assassinated.
She had been one of the few that had looked over his ideals, and besides a few minor changes, had wanted to implement them in France!
And while she was sick, an assassin snuck into her home, and not only did they torture the woman, they killed her in a very brutal manner. It appeared that she had been drawn and quartered.
Voldemort didn't see the benefit of looking past the fact that she was dead. Well, he conceded that to find this killer and commend him of his work by a lesson on true torture and death with finesse, it would be pointless.
He rolled his eyes in a moment, and summoned Lucius.
"My Lord?" Lucius strode a few paces forward, and dropped to his knew the second the Dark Lord crooked his finger.
"Find the murder. I think I need to teach someone a lesson in torture." The Dark Lord hissed out.
"It shall be done." Lucius confirmed.
"Dismissed." He hissed. The echoing scatter would have been hilarious, had the Dark Lord been focused on his minions.
He closed his eyes.
"The daughter was close to the little snakeling. Does this have you worried, Tom?"
"Hush Nagini. This has nothing to do with the brat."
"Most of your new plans have something to do with the brat." She let out a hissing chuckle.
He narrowed his eyes on her.
"I could always use those snake skin boots."
"I could always go for the balls." She shot back in return.
Tom's eyes widened. "You wouldn't dare!"
"Right… You need those for hatchlings…" She ignored the furious slight growl. "Master's little snakeling is so adorable. You will give me many grand hatchlings!"
"Shut up Nagini."
. . .
And I think I will end it there for now.
If you had a choice between schools in the HP uni. Which one would you have gone to, and why?
Till next time!