A bright past

Chapter 4

When Hadrian woke the next morning, he couldn't believe everything that happened the night before actually happened. He thought it was a dream, to be honest, at least, until he opened his eyes and found red eyes staring back at him, a soft smile on the face of their owner.

"Good morning", Tom Spoke, a soft reassuring voice sounding through his lips.

"Morning", Hadrian gave a forced smile; here was the man he wanted to spend his life with, the father of what should have been their child. With all of that in mind, he felt so guilty, he should have protected their child, and he should have been able to protect Tom, protect their allies.

He was forced out of his depressing mussing, be two warm hands setting themselves on his cheeks, "Hadrian, stop it right there with those thoughts! It wasn't your fault, none of it was. If you want to blame someone; blame Dumbledore for everything that happened, and even blame me for sending you back, seeing as the backlash of the magic made you lose the child?"

Hadrian let the tears flow after that, he knew he was reunited with his love now, but Tom did have a point, Dumbledore was the one they should blame, he was the one that attacked everyone not seeing it like he did, men, women and children alike. He even came in the early morning and slaughtered a whole house of families; families that had come to their place for protection of that same man.

Also, he was the man that made Tom so desperate that he used a forbidden ritual, one even frowned upon on their side, to sent him back in time, while unconsciously also sending himself back, so that he, Hadrian, could fix everything. But in doing so, it had cost them both their baby, the child they had dreamed of having, and now mourned at losing, even before they even met.

He cried for all the families that lost a loved one, for all the families that were lost. For the parents that lost a child, or more children. For children that lost one or both of their parents, making them partly or fully orphan. For love that couldn't be given anymore, for love that was lost, for loved ones that would never meet again, unless they joined again in the afterlife.

And through all this, Tom kept his arms around Hadrian, he never let go, he whispered sweet nothings in his ear, he hugged him tighter and released him. He even whispered made up 'would-be' memories of their time with their baby.

When Hadrian stopped crying, Tom hugged him tighter, "I'm sorry, love, if I had known..."

Hadrian shook his head, "I didn't tell you, and you did what was good in the long run. We can only blame Dumbledore for making us this desperate, so we had no other choice, I will miss him or her, and if we ever have another child, I will them of their older sibling, who we loved very much, but lost."

Tom nodded at that, he too would never be able to forget their baby, their little child, but he most of all, still felt guilt for making Hadrian lose their precious little one.

A hand to his cheek stopped that thought, "I know what you are thinking, my Lord, stop those thoughts, you didn't know and did what you thought was best. You did what was best for all of us. And while we will grieve, I will never, ever, blame you. I blame Dumbledore for all this."

A small smile appeared on the Dark Lord's lips, "if you say so, my love, it has to be true. Thank you for staying at my side."

Hadrian nodded, "Always, My Lord."

- ABP -

After they went down and had breakfast, the couple split up, the younger going with his new made friends, while the older beaconed his best friends and advisors to follow.

Hadrian followed Severus and Lucius as they led him to the room they had stayed in the night before; them taking a seat on the bed Severus slept in, while Hadrian took a seat on the other one.

Lucius spoke first, "how are you dealing?"

Hadrian swallowed, "I'll live, it will still be some time before I will get over everything that has happened, but I feel a tiny bit better every day. The fact that Tom, ooh yeah... The Dark Lord went back with me is a huge relief. It also helped that we talked this morning and that we cleared out some things. The only thing left to do now is use the knowledge we have to our advantage and stop Dumbledore before he can even begin with what he was doing in our time."

Severus nodded, "could you... perhaps tell us what he did then, that was so gruesome, and what made Our Lord send you back to change it all."

Hadrian swallowed thickly, but nodded anyway, as he opened his mouth, he told them everything, from his deflection from the so called Light Side, to the last moment he remembered before the white light.

It left the two young Slytherins green and nauseous, to think the leader of the light would go through such extremes to get what he wanted.

On the other side of the manor, with Tom, Orion and Abraxas, a much similar conversation had been held. The Black and Malfoy Lords had known something was amiss with their Lord and Friend, seeing what they now know as his future self coming through at irregular intervals, they had been meaning to bring it up, one of the next times they spoke to him in private.

But now it hadn't been necessary, seeing as they, as well as their sons had been witness to the story of the Young Ravenclaw, Hadrian Griffin. And the reaction it had on their lord.

Tom sighed, somewhere he was happy his friends still lived and now knew what was going on. He had hoped to spare the younger generation, but sadly this was not meant to be. He looked over the desk he was seated at, looking his friends in the eyes; "You have questions?"

Both other lords nodded, "What was so bad, what did Dumbledore discover and use that you saw no other way then to send your young fiancé back in time?"

And so, like elsewhere in the house, Tom told his two friends what had occurred and just what Dumbledore had done.

When Hadrian left a few hours later, a goodbye kiss from his fiancé still lingering, he was accompanied by two blonds and two blackheads, who were all pale and still seemed nauseous.

- ABP -

Once back at school, mid-Sunday, Hadrian went and informed his dorm mates that he was back, he also thanked them for covering for him; and that the personal business he had, had been handled.

Once changed back into robes, he met the two Slytherins in the library, where they had agreed to meet, just to talk. They had to keep it at a whisper though, because the library manager, now, was even stricter then Madame Pince had been.

Not even 30 minutes in their conversation, a troath clearing told them they had company. Looking up; they saw a couple of flustered Gryffindors, who were obviously a bit uncomfortable with having to do this in semi-public.

Hadrian smiled up at them however, "hi Griffs, thought about what I said on the train?"

James, standing at the front, nodded.

Hadrian smiled even wider, "great, did you find my logic to be right?"

Another nod, this time from Sirius, who stood a bit behind James, on the right side.

Hadrian positively beamed, "YAY! You guys want to talk about it, if you want we can even change locations."

This time it was Remus who nodded, standing slightly behind James, on the left.

Hadrian stood, "follow me, I know just the place."

Taking all 6 youngsters with him, he made his way to the Room of Requirement, walking past it three times and opening the door that appeared, mentioning for them all to enter.

The room itself was crème coloured, brown couches were set in a semi circle, an off-white rug on the floor, and the space smelt like someone just baked cookies in there, giving it a very homey feel.

Hadrian, even though he entered last, was the first to take a seat, "well, boys, take a seat! And let's talk."

Everyone took a seat rather quickly after that, even though the Gryffindor four took seats in two love seats, on one side of Hadrian, while the two Slytherins took a love seat on the other side of the Ravenclaw.

James was the first to talk, "I had quite a shock after you confronted us, but after I calmed down I talked it over with Sirius, Remus and Peter, and we found that you were right. It was bullying what we were doing, there was nothing honorful about it. We didn't even know the others and yet we were already condemning them for something out of their hands", he looked at the Slytherins in the room, "and for that we are sorry. And we are ashamed that it took 6 years and a stranger to tell us that, instead of figuring it out on our own."

Hadrian beamed again, he was so glad his father, godfather and honorary uncle had come to their senses.

Sirius turned to Hadrian, "we really want to thank you for doing this for us, and for everyone else, it will make for a far better relationship within the houses, and it might even reflect once we all graduate, on the work environment."

Hadrian smiled at him, "I just thought condemning someone for the house a HAT places them in, is stupid. The reason it does so, is because their head quality is most sought after by the founder of that house, a person who lived almost 1000 years ago. Why should a house, a sorting, that happened at the beginning of everyone's first year, hold anyone back from forming friends, even though those persons were sorted in a different house."

The other nodded, that actually made sense and they shamed themselves thinking that being in another house gave them reason to bully a person.

Remus looked at the Slytherins seated across from them, "I know we have a lot of bad blood between us, and that it might take a while to clear that out. But we really want to change, and with us, the rest might follow. So could it be agreed that we work together on this one, and, I don't know, try to be friends and do things together?"

Severus nodded, "that is agreeable, although I would like an apology from Bl-Sirius and James", looking the bespectacled yought in the eyes, "I never liked Lily that way, you know, we happened to grow up in the same neighbourhood and we tried to stay together because we knew one another."

This made James wide eyes, and made him apologies right after, Sirius following right after that.

Lucius looked at the Black heir, "you should talk to your family, I know your mother was in fault, but your father misses you and put her into her place, I also know your brother misses you and would give just about anything to talk to you again."

Sirius nodded at that, and made a point to talk to Regulus the first thing after he got out that door.

After the heavy stuff was over, they started talking, just boy talk. And started to get to know one another. Severus even gave some things about Lily away, hoping to strengthen the weak bonds they made earlier.

- ABP -

That night, Hadrian dreamt about what had happened, but also about what could have been. And while he really didn't blame Tom, he missed the chance they could have had.

The nightmare also made him cry out and shoot up in bed, waking more than one of his dorm mates, but he shushed them with "it was just a dream, I know it is, about last summer. Sorry for waking you guys, I'll try to prevent it or even put up silencing spells, but this will take a while before I can go on with my life."

This got nods, from the ones he woke, although, without his knowledge, the 4 other young men in the dorm room, made it a point to make sure that Hadrian knew they would be there for him and try to help him get over the trauma of what had occurred that summer.