Chapter 4: Of Wands and Heirs
Harry's POV
Hadrian was currently waiting for his wand. Out of all of the things that he wanted, he was very anxious to get his. He had read many books on wandlore and understood that a bond between wand and wizard was a bond as close as love. The other children, especially the girls were more excited to get acromantula fine silk robes, especially Estrella, who emitted a high speech screech at the sight of her newly made robes. It made Hadrian vomit slightly in his mouth.
Now, the bookstore was something he could get into. Hadrian had a respect for reading. He did not enjoy it, but understood that in order to gain knowledge, he had to read tedious things. Hadrian sighed. It was going to be a long day.
He snuck up on Hoku, who he still had to reprimand for his comments earlier about beauty sleep, and cast a mild glacier charm on the floor, and it caught his foot perfectly and sent him crashing into the bookshelf. Hadrian made sure there were cushioning charms on the bookcase and the floor, but the mess of books was something his godbrother would have to deal with himself. Hadrian snuck away and absently heard the librarian chewing Hoku out for 'young stupidity at its finest'. Hadrian chuckled.
He absently looked through the bookshelves, and saw only one book that caught his eyes. It seemed to be a bunch of squiggles, but then reformed into words. Suddenly, Hadrian immediately snatched the book. He stared at the author's name that had popped up. Salazar Slytherin. Hadrian guessed the librarian had no idea what it was, considering it was on sale for 10 galleons as a gag gift. Hadrian thanked Lady Magic, because this seemed to be all too perfect. Hadrian immediately bounded up to the librarian, who had just wrapped up putting the books back on the shelf. Hadrian gave the book to her.
"I would like to buy this. Here are the 10 Galleons" he rushed out taking the required money out.
The librarian looked at him with a scrupulous look. Nobody had shown this much interest in this book. She shrugged. It was just squiggles, how bad could it be?
"Sure sweetie, let me ring you up at the front"
Hadrian bounced after her, getting strange looks from his mother, aunt Bellatrix, and Estralla who were all discussing the required book list and how inadequate it was. He flashed them a confident smile, and continued on his mission of buying the book. He paid the 10 galleons, and immediately found a chair and started reading.
He was simply astounded. Salazar Slytherin's book was a book on Parseltongue, but it also had a bit of a diary aspect. It was something that Salazar had written in all of his life, and as Hadrian flicked through the pages, he noticed the growing maturity in his writing. Hadrian read about all of the ways that parseltongue can be used and he found himself amazed.
Hadrian was pulled out of musings when he heard his mother say, "Alright kids, let's go see about some wands".
Estrella and Hadrian immediately looked pleased. For Estrella, a wand was a way in which she could further her abilities in magic, while Hadrian was more curious how he would react to wands. He could do just about any spell wandless, so it seemed redundant. However, his curiosity and excitement got the best of him when he loudly whooped and ran out of the store, dragging Estrella along with him.
"Stop that you childish idiot", Estrella immediately scolded him.
Hadrian, if he was a normal kid, would have apologized, but he instead flashed her a smile and kept speed walking straight ahead. Estrella sighed and let herself be pulled, but deep down smiled. She loved seeing Hadrian happy. She could not explain it but him happy made her happy. As they walked into Ollivander's, Hadrian immediately started staring at a random corner of the store, seeming like he was waiting for something. Harry had an annoying habit of knowing more than he should, so Estrella waited patiently. Her trust in her young friend resulted in hearing an astonished voice, right where Hadrian was staring.
"My my, no one has ever been able to pick out my disillusion spell, Mr. Potter. I believe we are bound to see great things from you", an aged voice called. Midway through his sentence the aged voice stepped out of the shadows to reveal a man with white hair, and a piercing stare, that seemed to know too much.
"Mr. Ollivander, the pleasure is mine. This is my friend and confidant Estrella Black, and we are both searching for our wands today", Hadrian responded in a bit of a haughty voice. He was the Heir Potter after all. As he spoke, his mother, as well as Amelia Black walked into the wandshop. Ollivander immediately straightened up.
"Lady Potter and Lady Black. It is a pleasure to see you again. Your wands, I trust, are in splendid form?" Ollivander asked
Both ladies replied with the standard greetings, as well as assuring Ollivander their wands were in perfect order.
"Great, let us get started. Miss Black, please step up and present your dominant arm", Ollivander said.
Estrella held her right arm out, and cringed as Ollivander began taking measurements while muttering to himself. He then swiftly turned around and started looking for wands, all while muttering to himself. Hadrian eyed the old man with a keen interest. All of the sudden, Ollivander stood in front of them with a sleek black box. The box itself was opened to reveal a stunning jet black wand, with a fine engraved handle.
"11 inches, Darkwood with dragon heartstring core Ms. Black", Ollivander said, handing Estrella the wand.
Estrella accepted the wand and immediately was greeted with a rush of cold, confusing emotions. She quickly returned the wand, not bothering to give it a wave. This action made Ollivander lift his eyebrows in surprise, as he was used to young students foolishly waving wands that clearly were not a match.
As Ollivander ran around the store, presenting Estrella with wand after wand, Hadrian could not help but get bored. As much as he adored Estrella and wished for her success in finding her own wand, Hadrian could not stand being bored. He casually focused on his core and started feeling around the store with his magic. He felt a distinct pull from the back of the store, an area that seemed to be curtained off, with a few basic warding spells to keep out wayward shoppers. Hadrian immediately focused on the pull and felt like a piece of himself was calling to him. Hadrian ignored it for now, not willing to interrupt Estrella.
He watched Ollivander approaching with what seemed to be the 40th box, Estrella having proved to be a difficult client. Estrella could be seen with a blank look on her face, already implementing her basic occlumency to prevent people from seeing her nervousness. Hadrian locked eyes with her and gave her a small smile. She straightened herself and gave a small smile back, her mask of indifference slipping, showing the insecurity behind her eyes. Estrella was a proud young lady, and had high hopes for herself.
"This creation was one that I did not make. Made by my grandfather, he boasted regularly of his achievement", Ollivander stated looking at the box with reverence.
"12 ¾ willow, with a dragon heartstring and the tail feather of Nundu" he explained to gasps from the other occupants in the room.
"That's a very rare core indeed", Lady Potter stated, speaking up for the first time since the introductions, with Amelia Black nodding in agreement.
Nundu's were known for their ferocity, as such, any part of a Nundu was desired by wand makers. A wand with both cores in a pairing could prove to be a dangerous and beautiful creation. Ollivander opened the box slowly, his love of theatrics never once leaving since Hadrian had entered the store.
The wand itself was beautiful. Black and gold seemed to wrap around each other, the dragon and nundu seeming to come together and blended into a beautiful spiral that went down the length of the wand. The Jet Black and Bright gold were accompanied by a handle that was sleek, that seemed to have a sort of floral pattern. As Estrella grasped the wand, the air in the storm seemed to get warmer, and as Estrella gave the wand a wave, black and gold sparks left the wand, and a radiant smile graced her face, the first one Hadrian had seen since entering the shop.
Ollivander clapped his hands excitedly.
"It seems the influence of the Black and Bones Family can be represented in your wand, Ms. Black" he stated.
Estrella shook her confused, but Hadrian saw his mother nodding in agreement.
"Yes, Ms. Black. You see, two opposites coming together to create the harmony needed to keep balance. Anytime somebody tries to put any essence of Nundu into a wand, the Nundu's dominant nature will come out and destroy the other core, however, with this wand, the Nundu accepted the Dragon and they came together to create this effect. Your parents hail from families and legacies that are almost opposites. The Bones have always been fighters, where the Blacks have always remained in the shadows, preferring to strike in the ways of politics and money. A truly devastating pairing if I may say so. I believe we can expect great things from you" he finished while waving towards the wand now clutched in her hand.
Estrella quickly thanked him and made room for Hadrian who silently moved up, giving Ollivander his undivided attention.
"Now, Mr. Potter, I believe that you will be just as difficult as Ms. Black. Please give me your dominant arm", Ollivander said.
Hadrian shrugged and said, "I'm ambidextrous sir. However, if you would allow me, I believe my wand is quite anxious to be in my grasp. It's been yelling quite loud since I ignored its whispers when I first noticed its presence".
Ollivander quickly gasped as a wand flew from the back of the shop with a blinding speed. He quickly was left breathless at the display of magic as soon as the wand touched young Hadrian's hand. Once the wand hit Hadrian's hand, a shower of all colors known to the human eye came pouring off the wand, and with a slight movement, a tornado of color and warmth started circling Hadrian, his green eyes twinkling brightly. As the color and warmth picked up, Ollivander felt a smile grace his lips. 'Oh yes, we can expect great things from you Mr. Potter' he thought to himself.
As the color and lightshow died down, Ollivander clapped his hands loudly, followed by Lily and Amelia. Estrella for her credit was staring at Hadrian, as though she was seeing him for the first time. Hadrian himself was confused. He had never heard of a wand bonding in this way, and he had never heard of a wand whispering to their owners. The voice coming from the wand was female in nature, and what was loud yelling, was now a quiet whisper, and Hadrian felt as though he had been reunited with his lover. It was a weird feeling for Hadrian, who never felt like something was missing from his magic, but now he held this wand, he felt complete.
"Well Mr. Potter, your ability to surprise me I can confidently say is next to none. The wand you currently hold is a very special creation, and it is the only wand that I planned on never selling", Ollivander stated, looking very pleased.
Hadrian asked the question on everybody's mind.
"What just happened?"
Ollivander sighed.
"Has anybody heard of the tale of the three brothers?", he asked and as he received nods in response, he continued. "Well, if we take the legend at face value, then there are three objects, created by Lord Death. However, what many people do now know is that Lady Magic herself created one item. She created a wand, this wand to be specific. It is made from elder wood, with her very own hair as the core, as well as the tears of a phoenix, blood of a basilisk, and the tail of a thunderbird. This wand was given to my family to be kept safely, until one with the heart, and ability had come for the wand. I was told that the wand would choose the wizard, so I have kept it in the back, waiting for a wizard or witch that would ask for it. I believe, Mr. Potter, that this wand, and in extension, Lady Magic, has chosen you as her champion in this world", Ollivander finished gravely.
Hadrian shrugged and scoffed. Of course his ancestor had made him her champion, He had known this since her mom had explained everything to him. Lily Potter would not let her child navigate this world without knowing everything, secrets being something not kept in the Potter household. He quietly listened to the wand as it comforted him. It was not words per se, more of a feeling, accompanied with whispers. Suddenly, Hadrian felt himself raise his arm as a flash of golden fire erupted in the middle of the room. As quickly as the fire had come, it disappeared where a note was left. He quickly picked it up as his mother walked behind him, reading over his shoulder. She let out a quick gasp as she read it.
"I hope you enjoy your creation, my champion. Listen to it. Give my love to your mother"
It was signed, Lady Magic, your 20 time very great grandmother
Hadrian chuckled.
"Thank you very much for your time Ollivander. I ask that you keep this information secret, I do not want to have to deal with people coming after my son because of this information", Lily Potter said. She was smiling, but her eyes were staring hard at Ollivander as the older male nodded his head gravely.
"That includes Albus, Ollivander", she added scathingly, making sure the wandmaker understood her stance on the old man.
Ollivander nodded again, "Of course, Lady Potter, I would never betray the trust of my clients, not to mention the trust of Lady Magic"
Amelia snorted, "You will also have to deal with myself and Lord Black if this information becomes known. Not even Lady Magic could save you from me Ollivander, please remember it".
Since the death of her brother and his wife, she had grown a ruthless streak towards anybody that could harm the people she cared for. Her two children as well as her young niece had given her the motivation to train relentlessly with her husband, both knowing the threat of Voldemort would return. Sirius had accepted young Susan Bones as his own, and the girl had grown attached to her uncle but never took his name, or called him dad out of respect for her own father. She had loved the man deeply, and to her, he would always be her dad. Sirius had taken it well when Susan had declined his offer to take his name, but Amelia had seen it had hurt his feelings, the man having grown close to his young niece by marriage. Nonetheless, the two were still close, and Susan had come to look at Sirius as a father figure.
Ollivander gulped, and he nodded. In truth he would not ever tell anyone about this. When his father had first explained the family's responsibility to Lady Magic's wand, Olivander had taken the job very seriously, never having told a single soul about it, even Albus.
"Once again, I would never betray my family's honor to Lady Magic. I swore when I was young to uphold it and I will not stop that now. I understand your need to impress your point, but do not call my honor to my family into question. One warning I believe will suffice", he finished humbly.
Ollivander bowed his head in respect and took his leave.
'Such power coming from someone so young' he muttered to himself, shaking his head.
Hadrian left Ollivanders with Estrella in tow, excitedly heading towards the Leaky Cauldron, followed by two whispering adults.
"What does this mean Lily?", asked Amelia
"I would not pretend to know what Lady Magic is planning, but from what I have learned, she cares much for Harry. I know she would not do anything untoward him", she finished with a huff.
"Well, at least he will be protected", Amelia said confidently.
"From what she said, Lady Magic had a bit of a dark life as a human, stating she learned compassion after being a god for years. I am just hoping that extends to how she interferes in his life", she finished unsure what the new wand would mean for her young son.
She was confident Lady Magic was looking out for her son. She was not however so confident in her own ability to get the Horcruxes under control. Lily Potter knew that she was in a race against time, and time was slowly winning the more Hadrian got older.
BREAK
Hadrian Potter liked to think he was smart. Smart enough to not antagonize his quick to temper mother, even smart enough to know when that aforementioned mother was at breaking point.
"How could you be so stupid Hadrian"
Hadrian bowed his head in front of his mother. Hadrian was in the Potter Living room, where he was currently being dressed down by his very quick to temper, potentially at the breaking point, mother.
"You mean to tell me, you sat there and really thought gluing your sister to the ceiling with magic above her bed was a good idea", Lily Potter yelled at her son. At least he had the decency to look sorry.
"But mom, you don't understand, she was threatening to steal Hedwig. She's lucky Tristan didn't get to her first", Hadrian answered, sure of himself.
The Potters owned a group of griffins that had been brought over by James Potter's father, Charlus. Charlus Potter was known for his ability with a wand, having fought in the war to end Grindelwald, as well as the war with Voldemort. The family also owned a pack of thestrals, brought here by the late Dorea Potter, the only Black to ever had married into the Potter family. Hedwig, of course, was Hadrian's new snowy owl, that he immediately had taken a liking to.
Lily sighed again. She looked at her pleased daughter. She seemed very happy Hadrian was getting yelled at. As soon as she noticed her mother staring at her, Lilith cleared her throat and said,
"I merely insinuated that if he did not write to me, then he does not need an owl. Do not bring the griffins into this, we all know Tristan would not dare let anyone touch Hedwig", she finished, lazily.
Hadrian chuckled. Hedwig and the lead griffin had met on the first few days, and both animals were rather fond of each other. If any animal seemed like they wanted to eat Hedwig, Tristan would be there to watch out for her. It was quite an amusing display.
Lily sighed. Of course her children had to bicker the day before Hadrian left for Hogwarts.
"Hadrian, I want you to apologize to your sister for sticking her on the ceiling. Go on", she added, after she saw her son try to refuse.
"I am sorry Lilith. Next time you threaten to steal my owl, I will make sure my planning is better", Hadrian responded cheekily.
Lily immediately responded, "You will do no such thing. Get yourself packed for Hogwarts idiot boy, we have guests coming tonight".
Harry sighed, a characteristic he picked up from his mother, and reluctantly went upstairs.
"That boy is going to be the death of me I swear", whispered Lily.
The last thing Hadrian heard was his little sister bursting out in giggles.
BREAK
Hadrian, after much cursing, which luckily his mother did not hear, was packed and ready for his first year of Hogwarts. It was to be a day of triumph for the young boy. He was eager to see how he compared to the others in his year, as well as the rest of the school. Hadrian was a humble boy, so he had no need to boast of his skill, but he admitted to himself that he was a rather talented and special wizard, and the Hogwarts curriculum would not prove to be a challenge. No. Hadrian was looking forward to the freedom he would gain at Hogwarts. In Hadrian's eyes, Hogwarts was an ancient magical ground, one that was bound to have secret knowledge hidden throughout, secrets that would be Hadrians. It was not that he craved power. He merely just wanted to be his own man. Be in charge of his own destiny. He saw Hogwarts as his solution. His parents tended to give him a wide berth where magic was concerned, but Hadrian craved physical berth. He loved his parents to death, but their constant worrying and nagging over him was something that had begun to tire him. His parents looked at him as though he would drop at any moment, the threat of Voldemort very much on their minds.
Hadrian sighed internally as his thoughts brought him back to the bane of his existence. Lord Voldemort. Hadrian could confidently say he was not afraid of the man. He had heard all about the Dark Lord's guerilla tactics, preferring to strike when his enemies were asleep, much like a coward. It was with this reasoning that Hadrian realized that the similarities between Hitler and VOldemort were almost laughable. Two men that both capitalized on the citizens' weakness and lured them into a false sense of security. Truly honorable men needed no lies to win a war, and they sure as hell did not need to attack defenseless people in the night. Hadrian scoffed. He was not yet ready to deal with the Dark Lord, but that is why he was also looking forward to Hogwarts. He did not doubt in his own mind that one day, Tom Riddle would be dead, for the final time, and that it would be by his hand. He would not have it any other way. The Dark Lord had done some truly despicable things, and Hadrian had no need to hear of them to know the type of man Riddle was. He was intent on killing a few kids because of a simple mad woman's ramblings, so he did not find it unbelievable that Voldemort was an evil bastard. Other than the undeniable fact that he was evil, Hadrian had a personal vendetta against the man. Nobody threatens his family's lives and gets away with it.
Hadrian was snapped out of his thoughts by his sister, who picked up on her brother's somber mood.
"Geez Harry, Mom and I are not that mad. I was expecting some type of rebuttal for the prank at the beginning of the summer anyways", said his sister cautiously.
Hadrian for his part grinned. For the first half of the summer, Hadrian's nails had been pink. He would have been able to undo the charmwork, but he decided to keep it. He smirked again but with his sister's presence, came the reminder of what she had interrupted.
"It is not what you might think dear sister. I am just merely thinking about how you were going to fare without me around", he said.
"Oh please, you aren't that great. I could think of thirty other things i would rather do than be bothered by you" his sister said, all while giggling
Hadrian raised his eyebrow and huffed good naturedly.
"Well, in that case my goodbye present was wasted", he muttered almost teasingly knowing his sister's inevitable overreaction.
"You will do no such thing. If there is a present with my name on it Hadrian Potter, you will give it to me", her sister said menacingly, a small fire lit in her green eyes, a shade slightly duller than Hadrian's
Hadrian for his part chuckled, and went to his closet, where he turned around with a medium sized present, big enough where he had to set it down on the bed. Lilith for her part looked excited and immediately began tearing at the present. She gasped, and stared at her brother in amazement. In front of her was a giant plush griffin and snowy owl, both creations staring at her lifeless, until Hadrian tapped them with his wand. With a shake of their heads, the owl and griffin took to the skies of the room, both being small enough where they could do laps. Suddenly, the two creatures stopped in the middle of their second lap and landed near Lillith, who had been eyeing the creatures with a huge smile on her face. Hadrian too smiled, but not at the creations. He smiled because his younger sister was happy and that was all he cared about.
"Dinner should be ready soon. Prepare for our gue—what the hell are those?"Lady Lily Potter strolled into the room, not immediately noticing the two plush animals that began to stare at her. It was quite unsettling.
"Don't worry mom, just a little goodbye present I made for Lillith here. See?"Hadrian replied innocently.
The creatures had taken this time to cuddle up to Lillith, who immediately gave them gentle pets, which the animals seemed to like.
Lily was not a woman amazed by much, but her son, as always, had a way of constantly doing things that shocked her.
"Well, as I said, guests will be arriving any minute now. Let us get downstairs. I am sure Hadrian's creations are well trained?", she asked hesitantly.
"Yes mother, do not worry yourself. They are supposed to be nothing short of lovely and sweet. They know to be discreet, but they also know they are to be protective of Lillith. Little safeguards and nasty surprises can be expected, but nothing life threatening, depending on the threat. They also act as Portkeys to Potter Manor, specifically her bedroom. I didn't mean to go so overboard, but her gifts were my test dummies. I am sure she will grow out of them, at some point. But they are powerful creations, that are well trained, and to an extent are aware of human communication, even able to be given orders. I am quite brilliant, mother, let us not forget" Hadrian finished in a haughty pureblood lord voice, with his chin held high, much like he had seen that arrogant prick Malfoy do.
His mother started giggling and started marching them out of the door. Lilith gave one last look at her new companions and said, "Please stay in the room, wait here until I get back".
The creatures for their part seemed to understand and made themselves comfortable, waiting for her return, never once did their eyes leave their new human, ever the protective beings.
BREAK
ESTRELLAS POV
Estrella Black, as a young girl, always imagined herself as one of the greatest duelists in the circuit, none being able to overcome her ability with a wand. As she had grown older, and started to spy on her parents training as though they were at war, her resolve only grew. Her mother was the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and her father was a captain in the auror squad, so it made sense that both of her parents understood the importance of being able to duel. To the young girl however, she only could look on in awe as she witnessed her parents perform extraordinary feats of defense magic, the likes of which she would be hard pressed to find anywhere else. She truly admired her parents, not only for their prowess with magic, but because they were possibly the two greatest people alive on this Earth. The girl would die for them. Without hesitation. Much like her enigmatic friend had so many years ago.
She felt she had always been a mature girl, her seer ability forcing her to grow up quickly, misfortune upon misfortune playing through her head being her teacher. She however, always compares herself to her friend Hadrian James Potter. The boy who she had never known about until they were 5 years old and the threat of Voldemort truly gone. As she first met the boy, she could not help but be in awe. Here he stood, after taking three Killing Curses for his mother, and proceeded to make a joke afterwards. In these times, Estrella truly thought she had a crush on the boy, but she had since convinced herself that it was not meant to be. She was much too young to focus on love. Her thoughts were pulled out from under her by a soft knock on the door. Estrella sighed.
"OHHHH, dear sisssssterrrr", Hoku said, as he strolled through the door of her room.
Estrella, who was in mood to deal with Hoku's bouts of antics, merely rolled her eyes and bluntly said, "What do you want prick? I don't have the time to deal with the waste of Black blood that you are"
Her younger brother however smirked wider and leaned in, "Is that right dear sister? Well, I bring news dear sister. Important news that only my little moles I have around the world could get to me", he finished conspiratorially.
Estrella laughed, feeling lighter. She hated her brother on most days, but at least the prat was interesting.
"Oh? Dear brother, by mole, do you mean Kreacher? And by news, are you speaking of the rumor that the Potter Family are having an heir ceremony before Harry goes off to Hogwarts tomorrow?", she said, deadpanned, hiding the smirk that was threatening to spill over.
Her brother, for his part, looked shocked, and actually upset he had not been the one to tell her.
"How did you know?", he asked, his voice laced with sadness.
Estrella softened at his expression, and said, "Dear brother, you need to pick better servants if you want your secret tactics to remain a secret. Kreacher is a great elf, but is unreliable, and untrustworthy. All I had to do was ask him what was going on between you and him, I made a few choice threats, and he was finally forthcoming. It was probably the easiest thing I have had to do in the last eleven years of my life, but alas, I am not Hadrian. I urge you to at least think about your servants taking vows of silence", she finished with a flourish.
She frowned when she saw her brother still upset.
"What the hell is the matter with you?", she asked, not in a harsh tone, but she needed to get through to him that he was going to talk, and she would take no nonsense.
She watched as her brother put his hands through his hair, something that he had picked up from Hadrian.
"I need to live up to our name, Stella, I cannot be unprepared for when father asks me to take the mantle of Lord Black", her brother said quietly, in a rare show of insecurity.
Estrella sighed. Her brother was fascinated by the history of the Black family, and ever since her father had mentioned to him that he would one day be his heir, Hoku had taken to practicing blackmail, and information gathering. He would be a wonderful Lord Black one day, but it seemed Hoku needed to be reminded that he was still a kid.
"Hoku, you're 9 years old. You will have time to become the perfect Lord Black, just don't forget, you are still young, much like I am. We both have time to carve out our destinies", Estrella said.
Hoku shrugged and asked, "Are you looking forward to going to the Potters'?"
'I wouldn't miss seeing Harry for anything', Estrella said in her mind.
"Ehhh, it should be fine. Lord and Lady Potter always know how to throw a get together. I am sure Hadrian's excited to be named heir. It was supposed to be done by his birthday, but I am guessing Lord Potter wanted to wait", the girl said out loud.
Hoku smirked and said, "Are you sure you aren't more excited to see Harry?"
Estrella whipped a pillow towards him while he was running away.
'Honestly' she huffed
BREAK
HADRIANS POV
Hadrian waited patiently as a gracious host just behind the door, ready to greet all guests that might come through the door. It was a small family get together, but his father still insisted on the tradition of the heir greeting guests. It was, in his father's words, 'good practice for the ladies', but Hadrian refused to see how standing by a door could possibly be good practice for anything. Still, he took his duties to his family seriously.
"Ready to go dear brother?", his sister asked him, from behind him.
Hadrian turned around and grinned, "Yes dear sister, only a matter of moments, I just felt some people apparate outside of the gate".
With a little bit more waiting, Hadrian opened the door, and waited for the guests, walking up to the Potter estate. The house itself was beautiful, but the land around the manor was even greater. Forests as long as the eye can see surrounded Potter Manor, except for the quidditch pitch in the backyard. Hadrian was proud of his family's home. It was the perfect balance between privacy and freedom, and Hadrian would not have it any other way.
Out in the distance, he saw figures approaching from the gate. He saw Lord Sirius Black and his family, with Remus' family being not too far behind. Hadrian readied himself, and greeted his guests in the way an heir would.
"Good evening, I welcome you all to Potter Manor. Lord Black, it is an honor to see you here once again", he said, extending his hand with a bow. He was still an heir, so any Lord he would have to show deference to, unless there was a feud between the two families.
"Heir Potter, I am afraid it is my pleasure to be invited again to your magnificent house. I only wish my house was as grand. Please, I believe you have already met my lovely wife, Amelia, as well as my two children, Estrella Black, and my heir, Hoku Black", Sirius said, playing along with the pureblood culture.
Hadrian kissed the back of Amelia's hand, Bowed to Estrella, and shook hands with Hoku, both on equal terms in society.
"It is a pleasure to host such people. And Mr. Lupin, it is of course, once again, a blessing to have you here", Hadrian said looking at Remus.
Remus was not a lord in any way, but he still showed him the same respect he would a lord, his friendship with his dad elevating his standing in society.
"Heir Potter, the pleasure is all mine. You have already met my wife, Bellatrix. Unfortunately, my own two children are much too young to be involved in this ceremony, so I ask you to forgive them for not coming to such an important day", Remus said, with a bow. Technically, Hadrian was higher standing than Remus, something Hadrian wished was not the case.
"Think nothing of it, Mr. Lupin. I appreciate your and your wife's presence", he replied with a smile.
"Please follow me, Lord Potter is expecting everyone in the dining hall", he said, turning around and leading the group.
Estrella quickly caught up to him and walked alongside him.
"Are you nervous?", Estrella said.
Hadrian shook his head.
"The ceremony itself is simple in nature. Dad's going to show me the heir ring, and the magic will judge if I am worthy. I don't see it being a problem", he shrugged.
Estrella for her part just nodded her head, choosing not to say anything as the dining hall was coming up.
Hadrian entered the dining room, a grand room that was reserved for dinners of this nature. It boasted the family's wealth, with gold plates and silverware, as well as art on the walls that would make most drool. Hadrian saw his father, alongside his mother and sister, waiting for the guests.
After the customary pureblood greetings were out of the way between the three families, Lord Potter led everyone to the ritual room, where the guests were treated to a sight of a stone circle on the ground. Lord Potter turned to all present.
"Today we are gathered to witness Hadrian James Potter's elevation to Heir, one step closer to his journey of becoming Lord Potter. Today, I would like to have our closest friends and family here to see my son become one with the Potter magic. I would appreciate everybody staying a respectable distance from the stone circle, the backlash can sometimes be unexpected", he finished with a flair.
"Hadrian, please remove your shirt and present yourself in the center of the circle", he continued.
Hadrian obliged, casting a look at Estrella as she did so, where he caught her look away fast. Hadrian smirked. He turned to the stone circle, oddly feeling some trepidation about what might come.
He saw his father lay out some basic runes, and signaled for Hadrian to come to him.
"This, my son, is the heir ring", Lord Potter said, holding up a beautiful box, inside was a gold ring, with the Potter crest, and motto engraved into the ring. The griffin on the Potter logo seemed to be moving around on the ring, occasionally shifting itself, as though it were asleep.
Hadrian stood tall, waiting for his father to continue.
"I, Lord James Chalrus Potter, do name Hadrian James Potter my heir, on my mind and magic, so smote it be '', his father started.
The ring started vibrating, until a large griffin sprung out of the Heir ring, and started circling around Hadrian. As quickly as it started, even quicker did the entity stop at Hadrian's lightning bolt scar on his forehead, something he had never quite been able to get rid of. The Griffin was staring, almost ferociously at his scar, until it physically attacked Harry's forehead, sinking into his skin.
Hadrian for his part, started screaming, and collapsed, the pain unbearable. He lay there for what felt like ever, feeling as though he was being stabbed in the head repeatedly with hundreds of knives. As quickly and suddenly the attack started, there was a loud screech heard, and the griffin emerged from Hadrian's forehead, dragging with it what seemed to be some type of black ink substance, that screamed in protest. The griffin opened its mouth and started tearing the smoke substance to bits, not leaving any to the imagination how violent and proficient griffins were. As Hadrian attempted to get his bearing, he saw the griffin circling him again, until it stopped and bowed his way, seemingly accepting him. Hadrian did not get to see the part where his father gave him the ring, because he passed out from the exhaustion he felt.