Hadrian was on the train, really pissed off. Between his supposed relatives and the cover story that he had been in hiding with them all these years, he was down right furious! (If he had been forced to live with the Dursley's, well let's say for safeties sake they wouldn't have had to worry about the dead.)
So now here he was, unable to contact anyone, let alone himself. When the students began to board, he growled.
The only thing that kept him from going stir crazy was the fact that he could use Charter Magic here.
A red head popped in, and asked if he could sit with him. Hadrian could see a set up from a mile away.
"No," he said flatly.
The red head was persistent, and only left after he hit the boy with a rather amusing charm. The twin brothers saw his trick and applauded.
Another boy came in, with two goons at his side.
"They've been saying all along the train that Harry Potter is aboard. Is it true?"
Hadrian glared at him.
"No. I have never gone by that name once in my life except when my birth father was alive, and I most certainly don't intend to start now. You may address me as Hadrian Abhorsen."
Apparently his little speech met with the boy's approval, because he held out his hand, "Draco Malfoy. The one on the right is Vincent Crabbe, and the left is Gregory Goyle."
He nodded.
"You were named after the star constellation, correct?"
Draco took that as the invitation it was, and sat down. He looked a bit sheepish, "Now that question I could never figure out. I have no idea what my mother was thinking when she named me."
"You think that's bad? I have a half sister named Sabriel. And she named her cat and owl Minerva and Xiomara."
That little tidbit was obviously news to him.
"You have a sister?"
"I know exactly what happened that night, and my mother didn't die from some silly curse. She died giving birth to my younger sister almost a year after the Dark moron killed my father."
Hadrian bought out the entire cart from boredom, and took out a book. Since his sister was still new to the family business, she carried the Book with her...but that didn't mean he didn't have his own copy. They had a book handmade in the kingdom, blank. A simple copy spell and a charm to self update should Sabriel add anything (or Hadrian to his) and now there were two copies of the Book.
Draco appeared interested in the writing, since he vaguely recognized it.
Seeing the look of recognition, Hadrian smirked.
"How much Ancelstierre can you read?"
Seeing his look of confusion, he showed him another book, one of simple Charter Spells. Draco actually managed to read two.
"I'm impressed. Most of you English can't read a word of either."
Draco gave him a look.
"You're English you know."
"Only half. I was raised on the other side of the veil in the Old Kingdom. I can weild all seven bells and can speak Charter without glancing at a book, unless it's particularly complicated."
Draco was impressed now. He never would have believed the boy who lived was from that side.
"What house you looking forward to?"
"Which house is going to use a wandless, wordless hex on the headmaster the first chance they get?"
Draco gaped a bit, then laughed.
"Slytherin of course! Though if you're as smart as you appear you may end up in Ravenclaw."
"I'm not even supposed to be here. I turned the old goat down before, and he nailed me with some spell right as I was about to take a long deserved vacation!"
Seeing it would be a sore subject for him in the future, he asked how much magic Hadrian knew. And it surprised him.
"I can turn into an animagus, hex anyone nine ways to Monday, and cast high level wards without blinking."
Draco, eager to see his animagus, suddenly found himself confronting a large black wolf which almost filled the compartment.
Hadrian turned back, amused at his reaction.
And the alliance between Draco and Hadrian was formed. Draco immediately asked him what he did in the Old Kingdom, and Hadrian said "I'm guessing you don't know the significance of the Abhorsen name."
Draco shook his head.
"What is the main problem that you wizards face here? And I don't mean muggles."
"Dark creatures and wizards. Unless you're from a prominent Dark family, then they don't bother you."
"We have a problem with the dead."
"You mean ghosts and Inferi?"
"I mean the dead. Greater and Lesser. Depends on how far they come from the gates. Our problem is keeping them dead."
A girl with bushy brown hair came in, and asked if they had seen a toad.
"What is the name of the toad?"
A nervous boy behind her stammered "Trevor."
"Accio Trevor the toad!"
A toad flew from the farthest compartment into his hand. He handed it to the boy, who stammered a thanks. The girl stared at him, and he raised an eyebrow.
"I happen to be a natural at charms. And I've used that one too many times to count."
Her eyes raised in shock.
"You're Harry Potter!"
Hadrian growled and sounded exactly like he did as a wolf.
"No I bloody am not. Why do people keep calling me by a name I have never even used?"
"I've read so much about you!"
"All lies. I rarely come to this side of the veil, for a damn good reason."
At least she left five minutes later.
Hadrian sat down and scowled.
"This is the very reason I hate coming to this side. Between the wizards and the Ministry I never would get any peace! Back home all I would need for some quiet is to let everyone see the bells, and they don't even think of bothering me."
"Bells?"
Hadrian brought out a bandolier, with seven bells. Hadrian pointed to each one, and said their name.
"Ranna, Mosrael, Kibeth, Dyrim, Belgaer, Saraneth and Astarael. Sleeper, Waker, Walker, Speaker, Thinker, Binder, Banisher."
Draco expressed an interest as to what they did.
The train slowed to a stop, and they got off. Hadrian kept his bag inside the necklace, and went to Hagrid.
He sat next to Draco, and the two looking for the toad earlier.
He turned to them, and held out a hand.
"Hadrian Abhorsen. And no, I don't answer to Harry Potter. Never have, never will."
The nervous boy held out his hand, "Neville Longbottom."
"Hermione Granger."
"By the way, everything the books said about how I survived? All a pack of lies. Mum knew a few things about death that she never told dad. Hence why we survived and disappeared."
Hermione seemed to deflate a bit.
"Tell you what, if you promise not to try anything without me there to supervise, I will show you a few things the Ministry prefers you never knew about."
That made her happy.
Everyone was startled at how Hadrian reacted to ghosts. And how they reacted to him!
The Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff ghosts all yelped in shock when they saw the bells. The Slytherin ghost shuddered.
Hadrian growled, but said, "Don't give me any reason to use these, and I won't send you through. Am I clear?"
The ghosts nodded and left so fast they left large trails of ectoplasm. Every first year turned to him. And he glared right back.
"The dead should learn to stay dead. Especially around me and mine."
Everyone but Draco, Neville and Hermione immediately steered clear from him. McGonagall lead them into the great hall, and gave him a stern look for his bells. He gave her his best glare right back.
Soon the sorting started.
Draco was sent into Slytherin, Hermione to Gryffindor, and Neville to Hufflepuff. The red head from earlier went into Gryffindor.
"Harry Potter!"
"THAT DOES IT! I have had it with people calling me Potter! My name is Abhorsen! Get it right!"
He finally lost it. He went under the hat, ignored the stares, and hummed something in a tone so low no one caught the sound. One of his fingers was pointing to the headmaster, and by the time the hat yelled "Slytherin!" no one noticed the slight beam of light that hit the old man behind him.
Everyone was gaping. Except one person in the Slytherin table who clapped. (Draco)
Hadrian sat next to Draco, in a fouler mood than usual. Still, Draco did one thing no one else dared. He managed to get Hadrian to talk to them.
When Hadrian smirked, everyone got shudders. His eyes combined with the smirk made him look like an unholy creature from hell.
"We should be seeing the effects of that hex when the headmaster stands up."
One of the prefects looked at him.
"What did you do?"
"Let's just say that the headmaster should stick close to the bathrooms for the next week. And it will be impossible for him to get rid of it before then."
Soon the sorting was over, and the headmaster stood up. And promptly farted...or at least that was what everyone assumed it was. Eventually the students went to their new houses, and met their head of house.
Snape singled out Hadrian and said "What did you do to the headmaster Abhorsen?"
Hadrian grinned. At least one professor wasn't an idiot.
"I have two words for what he'll be experiencing for the next week. Explosive Diarrhea."
Snape smirked.
"I take it there is no way to end it before then?"
"Not unless he happens to know all the Charter marks I used as well as the Wizard spell, no."
The prefects let them know the rules, and they went to bed. Hadrian and Draco promptly nabbed the window beds.
Hadrian woke up just as the sun hit him in the eyes, and took a shower. Instead of putting on the ridiculous robes, he grabbed something from his necklace.
An Abhorsen chain mail with green plating instead of the usual blue. It had taken him months to finally figure out a spell to change the coloring, but it was worth it. Now Sirius and Remus could wear the chains with red and gold. He put the bells on next, and they comfortably rested on his chest. The school robe was placed over the mail, and he put in the earrings in his left and right ears.
His earrings were in fact his fans, shrunk and hung by a small silver wire. They were closed and the bells silent. On each fan was the symbol for the Abhorsen and Potter family.
His favorite pair of boots were tied and ready for walking. They were well worn and comfortable, built for walking long distances.
Hadrian was the first to the breakfast table, and the door still hadn't opened. He thought back to something Sirius had mentioned, about how the doors wouldn't open until seven.
By the time he got back from mentally memorizing each class and where it was, the doors had just opened.
He sat at the Slytherin table, and began to eat.
He ignored the look the headmaster was giving him, probably from figuring out it was his fault that he had to use the bathrooms at least ten times last night.
Snape handed the schedules, and he promptly memorized them. Draco walked blearily to the table, and Hadrian handed him a strong cup of coffee.
Draco drank it immediately, and winced when he burned his tongue. Hadrian absentmindedly handed him a pain relieving potion. He took a sip and nodded to the other boy. Suddenly he heard chirping, and looked down.
The egg had finally hatched.
The tiny phoenix had icey blue feathers with silvery edges. But it was the eyes that held his attention.
They were emerald.
He named it Snowfire.
It slept in a pocket inside his Slytherin robes, until he found the kitchens and fed it.
McGonagall wasn't in the classroom, but a familiar feline was. Hadrian would swear the thing was Minerva's double! It even had the same personality!
"Minerva? What are you doing here? I thought you were with Sabriel!"
The cat turned into the teacher, and he realized his mistake.
"Sorry Professor, but your animagi form bears a striking resemblance to my sister's cat Minerva."
"While that explains why you called me by that name, I would prefer if you did not do so again."
"Why?"
Draco felt he had to explain it to his friend, if only to keep house points from being taken.
"Her name is Minerva McGonagall."
"Ten points to Slytherin."
"Ah. Any teachers with the first name of Xiomara?"
"Madam Hooch," said McGonagall.
"What does she teach?"
"Flying."
"My favorite thing to do, though I usually prefer Paperwings to brooms," he said offhandedly.
Hadrian was the only person to get the assignment done correctly on the first try. He immediately brought out a book and began to read. It was an advanced transfiguration book...and it happened to be restricted.
McGonagall knew it was still in the restricted section, since the only way to get any books that advanced was to ask her. And it was too early in the year for that.
"Mr. Potter..." she started.
An annoyed growl was heard, and he corrected her again.
"Abhorsen. I've never gone by Potter in my entire life."
Sensing it was a lost cause, she admitted defeat gracefully.
"Mr. Abhorsen, where did you get that book?"
"Black Family library. Uncle Sirius gave it to me for finally passing his transfiguration lessons."
Everyone stared at him.
"Sirius, as in Sirius Black?"
"If you're going to tell me he's a Death Eater, save your breath. Peter Pettigrew was the Secret Keeper, not Black. Besides, he's officially a resident of the Old Kingdom, and therefore exempt from Ministry regulations and laws."
He was the only one to not get homework. Flitwick was both shocked and delighted that Hadrian was an expert in Charms. Even if he did fall of the stack of books when he read the name aloud. Hadrian politely corrected him about his name.
Since it was clear Hadrian was beyond the first year curriculum, Flitwick offered to put him in his OWLs class. His last class was Defense, which was a complete joke. After five minutes he took out a book on Auror training which he borrowed from the Black family library and started reading instead.
Finally, classes were over for the day! Time to really explore the grounds. Draco and Neville decided to join him, while Hermione was in the library.
Hadrian expanded his senses, and made a mental note on the number of ghosts in the castle. More than he thought, but as long as they didn't cause him any trouble he wouldn't bother them. Except maybe that Denizen from the third gate. Then he felt something that drew his sensed immediately. The ever flowing stream of the Charter!
From the way the flow felt, it had to be a stone! And an untouched one at that! He jumped up in glee, and promptly headed towards the feeling.
He found a stone with an odd ribbon of what looked like rope and paper, and took off the rope. Then he touched the stone, and felt the soothing feel of the Charter surround him. Draco lightly shook his shoulder, and gaped at the look on his new friend's face.
Hadrian turned to them, and was smiling. Not the same type he had been giving ever since people insisted on calling him Harry Potter. But a true smile that didn't send fear into their hearts.
"I never would have believed a true Stone would be here. This just makes my stay a hell of a lot easier."
"What kind of stone?" asked Neville.
"This, Neville, is what is known as a Charter Stone. Back home I would be repairing the ones that necromancers break on purpose. These stones are direct links to the Charter, and make casting with the marks and symbols a lot easier."
He saw the confused looks, and said "I'll explain things to you and Hermione the first chance we have a day off. You two are looking at the only true Charter Mage within a thousand miles of here. I can even teach you how to cast."
Hadrian seemed to do a mental inventory for a moment, then said, "Do you know where I can get some Pommel Ash, lacewing flies and belladonna?"
Neville immediately brightened up.
"You can probably find belladonna in the greenhouses."
"And you could probably find the others by asking Snape. Why do you need those anyway?" asked Draco.
Hadrian replied, "I need them for a Fourth Level mid healing potion. I'm running low again."
Draco apparently knew where Snape's office was, and told him. Hadrian bid them goodbye, and went to find the professor.
He ran into the man instead.
"Abhorsen! What do you want? I'm in the middle of brewing a volatile potion!"
"Actually I was wondering if you knew where I could find Pommel ash, lacewing flies and belladonna. I forgot to stock up and I'm running low on fourth level mid healing potions."
Snape stared at him.
"You...can brew a NEWT level potion?"
"NEWT? It's one of the simpler ones I can brew. It's either that or owl Sirius for another supply run."
Snape seemed to come to a decision.
"Come with me Abhorsen."
He lead him to his office, and handed him the ingredients. Hadrian had a feeling Snape wanted to see if he was boasting or not, so he started the prep work. Five minutes later he was done, and the potion was quietly simmering. An hour later he put the last ingredient and let it stew until the next day.
Snape was in shock. The son of James Potter, an expert at Potions? Hadrian saw his look and smiled.
"I've been brewing this stuff for years. I keep a stock of healer's potions on me at all times."
And he brought out a sturdy box, and opened it.
"I brewed every single one of these. My sister can brew like this too."
"Tell me about this...sister of yours."
"Technically she's my half sister. Her name is Sabriel Abhorsen. Mum had her about half a year after my birth father died. She is better at Transfiguration than I am, though I master how to be an animagi before her. She has an evil owl and cat named Xiomara and Minerva."
Snape looked amused.
"And yes, I already know those are the first names of McGonagall and Hooch...though I swear McGonagall looks like Minerva's evil twin..."
Snape chuckled. Then he proceeded to tell Hadrian how to improve his potion making skills. All in all, a very productive first day.
The week flew by much the same. Aside from the fact that Hadrian now hexed Ron Weasly on sight (he couldn't take the hint that Hadrian didn't want to be friends with someone who called him Potter) and Hermione become his favorite study partner, it was boring but tolerable. (Though he secretly suspected that she was planning on tying him up and kidnapping him for all the spells he knew.)
At least the next day he would have a break from the tedious classes. Hermione, Neville, Draco and surprisingly Blaise Zabini were interested in Charter Magic.
Hadrian turned out to be a better teacher than most of the professors there. He was patient and explained each detial without someone asking. Neville seemed to grow more confident whenever Hadrian praised him.
(Despite being in Slytherin, it was obvious to everyone that Hadrian did not tolerate bullies. And he had a tendency to protect the nervous firsties. Hence why the Longbottom heir looked up to him.)
Hadrian knew full well he had a strange knack of getting people to trust him. Particularly into battle against the dead. Whenever he lead people into a fight against the Lesser (or worse a Greater) dead, most of the time they made it out alive.
It didn't help that females were instinctively drawn to him like moths to a flame. He once complained about it to his sister, who then told him flatly that his aura read like a cute puppy, so what the hell did he expect to happen?
To be fair, he actually didn't mind the way Longbottom tended to hang out with him during Slytherin/Gryffindor paired classes. He had a feeling Neville excelled in the one class which tended to give him a real headache, Herbology. (If only because of the many variances in plants. And the fact that he does have allergies to certain species of flora.)
In exchange for help in that subject, Hadrian paired up with Neville during potions. (Read: kept Neville from ruining his potion and getting a passing grade while he worked on a much harder one with Snape's permission.)
Of course his attitude towards the headmaster was nothing compared to how Peeves reacted to him. Now that was something every student in the great hall enjoyed a lot. The day Peeves was taken down thirty notches. (Not that they knew what Hadrian was threatening to do to the annoying poltergeist.)
Peeves was cackling like the pest he was, and zoomed into the great hall during the firsties study period. He was in the mood to annoy the Slytherin house today, since the Bloody Baron was out for a ghost conference.
Then he saw the boy that the other ghosts spoke about with fear. Harry bloody Potter, no wait, they called him something else after a not so subtle warning. Now what was that name again? Horse-something?
Hadrian's head shot up the minute Peeves entered the hall, and his scowl would have terrified anyone on the wrong side of it. So when Peeves starts throwing the ink wells and books everywhere, Hadrian was pissed off.
So he did the best thing he could come up with, since he had to keep his bells in his necklace (Dumbledore threatened to confiscate them after the incident during the feast) and he knew everyone was watching.
He whistled sharply, and everyone could feel the power behind the notes. Peeves suddenly jerked back, and the entire hall watched as the poltergeist was literally thrown arse over teakettle out of the hall and into an open classroom.
Then they all stared at Hadrian in surprise.
"Damn third gate denizen..." was all he would mumble, before going back to work.
Thus everyone learned that Peeves had finally found his match in Hadrian Abhorsen. It was the main reason Filch never threatened him with detention, once Hadrian noticed he was a natural Charter Mage who couldn't find an outlet for his power.
(Which is why Hadrian was privately teaching Filch how to use Charter magic and promised once the man had learned how to cast it properly to take him past the veil with his cat. At least over there he would fit in.)
Hadrian was surprised to find himself enjoying Hogwarts. Despite being a twenty year old in an eleven year old body (who happens to have a penchant for swearing, drinking and causing major trouble in the non necromancer way) he was actually having fun. Mainly because the old goat in charge obviously didn't give his past self a memo about sending him the grown up boy who lived.
One would almost feel sorry for Dumbledore...pause...if he weren't so damn manipulative.
Between the twins and Hadrian, the school had one week of pranks after another. One the plus side, Hadrian was now on the school team after a bizarre series of events during flying lessons.
(Not that he actually needed them, since he had been in far worse conditions while flying for years.)
Though once Neville had broken his wrist and Hermione her ankle (ouch) Hadrian suddenly found himself with a pack of lions and snakes without supervision.
'Oh hell, this will end badly I just know it.'
So Draco picked up Neville's rememberall that his Gran sent him (intending to give it back when he saw the boy) and Ron starts shooting his mouth off. Draco (being a Malfoy to the core) takes the snide comment and baits Ron.
Hadrian sighed, and pulled something out of his necklace.
"Engorgio."
It was a bizarre paper-like bird thing, with almost creepy living eyes. It was also a prototype he had been working on for months after the battle with Kerrigor. A Paperwing for one, with enough room for a bag.
Getting into the seat, he leaned downward and gave a sharp whistle. The magic kicked in, and the wind brought him level with Draco.
"Toss it over Dragon. You can play with the Weasel all you want then."
Draco was too busy staring in surprise at the contraption he was sitting in for a few moments. Then he tossed the ball to him. Hadrian had to lean slightly over the side to catch the thing. Seeing a chance to test his Paperwing (Madam Hooch was atheletic, but it would still take her another fifteen minutes to get back. Ten if she ran), he whistled again, and flew once around the Gryffindor tower. Without the extra weight of the second seat, the Paperwing was much faster. Only the extra density of the paper kept it intact.
Hadrian landed the thing with two minutes to spare, and shrank the Paperwing into the necklace again.
Everyone was giving him funny looks.
"What?"
"What...is that thing?"
"A Paperwing. Of course this is one I modified as a one seater."
"A what?"
"Paperwing. One of my ancestors created it. The Clayr have over a hundred of them. I make them in my spare time."
Hadrian sensed McGonagall approach, along with Madam Hooch. He turned to them, smirking.
"Abhorsen! What was that thing?" said McGonagall.
"Paperwing. One of the easiest ways to travel back home. And I make them as a hobby."
He had a feeling they wanted to check it over.
"We must ensure that they are safe."
Hadrian gave them a look.
"Please, give me a break. Even if I gave you one, you wouldn't be able to understand the magic used to create it. It's an entirely different branch from what you use."
"Be that as it may, we have an obligation to the safety of our students."
Hadrian snickered. But took out one of his unfinished Paperwings. McGonagall took it with her for investigation.
"And by the way, there is a reason WHY they call them Paperwings. It's made of magic and paper. Try not to destroy it please?"
Snape came to him, and wanted to know what happened.
"I was field testing something while waiting for Hooch to come back. I happened to fly past the Gryffindor tower."
"And she saw the contraption and assumed the worst. What was it that you were using?"
"Paperwing. I can show you the one that I finished. The one I gave McGonagall was one I was still working on."
Snape was interested in the device, and Hadrian brought out a standard Paperwing for him.
"This is one I borrowed from the Clayr. I usually fly my own, but just in case I keep this one ready."
He took it with him, and promised to not destroy it by accident. And had Hadrian come to his office a week later. Hadrian put his Paperwings back into his necklace. It seems Snape knew about Charter magic, and checked it over.
All he had to do was swear not to fly at night (like he was that foolish! England was cold enough during the day!) and he could keep his Paperwings.
They were an excellent test for his students. Filch was surprising a fast learner, and would soon be ready to learn how to fly.
The only other student almost prepared to fly was surprisingly enough, Neville. Draco, Hermione and Blaise were still on the secondary marks.
Hadrian found himself as a Seeker on the Quidditch team of the Slytherin house. Ron was furious that Hadrian had gotten off free, so he challenge him to a duel. Hadrian smirked.
"Let me get this straight. You expect me to actually fall for such an obvious tactic? I've met politicians with more subtlety."
Then he faced Ron fully.
"Besides, I know more spells and curses than you will in a lifetime."
Snape came up and said "Is there a problem here?"
"Weasel challenged me to a duel sir."
Ron's face turned as red as his hair.
"Detention Weasly! And thirty points from Gryffindor."
The first quidditch match. Already he had a massive headache. He had a small Paperwing shrunk around his wrist and ready to go at a moments notice. The last thing he needed was to fall off the damn broom midflight at the heights he liked.
So they took their positions, and Hadrian snorted at the lack luster way his team looked. Honestly, he outflew everyone and had more experience with in flight combat than anyone. He could handle two inanimate objects aimed at him.
They weren't crows killed and reanimated with a single dead soul after his life energy. And after a 'ahem' incident when Hadrian almost killed Flint by leading a bludger right at him, they left him alone. Particularly since Hadrian had long since memorized certian spells which controlled winds.
It made catching the Snitch child's play.
Hadrian mounted his broom and took off. It was a good thing he had his own with him, otherwise Snape would have had to buy one. (As it was, Snape was grateful the Potter Spawn *TM* had his own broom and had saved him five hundred galleons on a nimbus 2000. He spent the coins he saved buying rare potions ingredients instead and giving them to Hadrian.)
His Charter spelled broom was faster and less likely to get on his nerves than a wizard one. Besides, it had a spell on it to give him even sharper eyesight. (Not that anyone knew about that.)
He was flying moderately around, enjoying how easily his personal broom outstripped the others. Then he spotted the Snitch and took off.
Before he even got close, Fred Weasly almost nailed him with a bludger, which he easily averted with a quick double barrel roll. But it had done the job he wanted, because the damn ball was gone again. He gave a friendly glare to the boy, who grinned back. The twins knew for a fact that Hadrian was an imp in disguise. Hell, he even gave them pointers on pranking which worked! (Which is why the Divination teacher found herself with thirty crystal balls filled with the image of Barney.)
Halfway through the game, he felt his broom grow warm. Someone was trying to cast a spell on it...a wizard spell. He looked where he was. Right in front of a Slytherin stand. And only one person was watching him without blinking.
Damn Quirrel. Was he still angry over how Hadrian outdid him in front of the bloody class?
The broom was glowing red hot, as Charter magic was cancelling out the jinx. He glared at the man with the turban, and began a shrill whistle. Out of nowhere a large tornado engulfed the stand he was in front of, and the glow stopped.
The wind stopped the second he let the whistle die down. Since everyone could clearly see that his broom had been glowing, no one commented on it. Snape however, was furious and had his wand out on Quirrel.
Hadrian saw the snitch, and in a moment which would probably have his family howling, caught it...and nearly choked since he had his mouth open when his broom catapulted him.
He promptly used mouthwash the second he was in the locker room. That was worse that his sister's first attempt at cooking with Sirius as the instructor! (Funny thing about that, Sirius is an excellent teacher in magic but can't cook worth a damn.)
Halloween. But Hadrian knew the other names it has been called. Before it was Halloween, the night children used to play pranks and get candy, it was All Hallow's Eve. But those who weild magic know it by another name, one that most never recall.
Samhain. The day before the Feast of the dead. And Hadrian's biggest headache. It was the one day of the year which Necromancer's loved to bring the dead past the veil of death. The only day when Death's boundaries were at it's lowest point.
And his busiest time of year. He loathed this day with a passion. It had nothing to do with the fact that the Dark Moron killed his father and widowed his mother, though that sure as hell didn't help. And he never experienced the childhood joy of trick or treating like most children of England did. He spent this day helping his father send the dead that crossed back to where they belong.
So it was understandable why no one could find him all day. The ghosts and Peeves seemed to know what was going on, because they stayed well out of his sight the entire day. In the end, it was Hermione who accidentally found him when Ron insulted her.
Hadrian found her crying, and knew he was going to hex the idiot the next time he saw him. Hadrian kept Hermione with him at the Slytherin table. He shut Draco up by telling him it was to piss of Weasel (Ron).
When the troll came, Hermione reluctantly went with the other Gryffindors. Hadrian lead everyone to an unused classroom once he remembered that the Slytherin dorms were in the dungeons.