January 3, 1988
Hermione Granger anxiously stood by a giant tree, waiting for Hadrian Charlus Potter. She wasn't sure whether to address him as Harry, but she thought about it while the clock ticked away. He had promised to meet her here, and she had been waiting for about 20 minutes.
Her school recess would end in another 20 minutes, and every second that passed made her more nervous. She couldn't stop her overthinking mind from racing. Harry had been clear; he said she didn't need him to control magic. When she turns eleven, other magical people like her would be there to help her control her newfound powers. However, curiosity was eating her up from the inside. How could she not have questions about a world of magic? She had jotted down these questions and kept them safe in her pocket. It might sound silly, but nervousness tends to make people do strange things, right? She wasn't just nervous anymore; she was starting to feel sad. Her desire to learn something new was overwhelming. She had agreed to meet Harry, even though he had told her she didn't need him. Maybe before that hug, she could have accepted that she'd learn about magic when the right time came.
And that hug, oh, it meant more to her than she could express. Her parents were never very affectionate. They only hugged her on rare occasions when she achieved something great or during holidays like Christmas. But when Harry hugged her, it felt like she had finally found someone her age who understood her. A friend? Someone who knew the unnaturalness that dwelled within her. He was the first person who wasn't family that she had ever hugged. Before this moment, she had never had a friend. Could she call Harry a friend now? He hadn't said anything about it, had he? She didn't even have a pet because her parents were against it. She loved cats, though. Once, she brought a tiny stray kitten home from the street, and her mother had become furious. Since then, she had promised never to bring anything from school or the streets into their home.
Now, 30 minutes had passed since she had stood by that tree, expecting to meet Harry and make a new friend. But it seemed like it wasn't meant to be. He had changed his mind about meeting her, and that hurt deeply. She hadn't even touched her lunchbox, thinking she could share it with him. She wasn't scared of him, not even after he mentioned killing John. The crime scene was terrible, but she believed him. She couldn't imagine him hurting her. Why would he? She hadn't done anything to him. He had helped her before and promised more help if she wanted. He couldn't be a bad person, could he? But there must be some reason behind his strange demands, right?
She was also prepared to do something drastic. She would have killed Samuel if Harry had said he would only teach her if she brought Samuel's head. It might seem crazy for a 9-year-old, but she believed in survival. She had read somewhere that "Everyone has a date when they leave this world. It's like an expiration date, but no one knows when it is. If your time isn't today, you'll live through today. Is that what they call luck? There's no such thing as luck; everything has its ups and downs. Some people die from simple accidents, like falling down stairs, while others survive even after falling from a 9th-story building."
She glanced at her wristwatch once more. It had been 35 minutes since she arrived at the tree. She reached a conclusion: Harry didn't come to meet her. Her mind was spinning. Her list of questions seemed to taunt her from her pocket, her abandoned lunchbox mocked her, and the world itself seemed to laugh at her. She couldn't help but wonder if Harry had thought she wasn't worth his time. A single tear rolled down her cheek. She felt completely unwanted, her hopes shattered. In frustration, she tossed her untouched lunchbox into the pond and walked away.
Unbeknownst to Hermione, Hadrian Potter was absent from school that day. Their class schedules were different, and she had no way of knowing that Harry had his own reasons for not showing up.
January 4, 1988
Hadrian had come beside the tree a while ago. He was reading a new type of book now. He had finished Sherlock books last night. Now he was reading about influence and psychology. He had finally found the right book genre that would make his dream come true. He would achieve what had been taken from him and his family by magical people. He just had to practice observation and some psychology techniques repeatedly to master them. If he could combine Sherlock's ideas and psychology, he could do what he yearned for.
Hadrian's most hated person was Dumbledore. When he asked his mother who had sent him to the Dursleys, she had simply answered, 'Old goat Dumbledore.' From that day on, his blood boiled at that name. It wasn't just a petty grudge; it was pure hatred. He may be young, but he knew what hate felt like. Because of that old person, Hadrian could still remember flashes of memories or nightmares from his childhood inside the cupboard under the stairs. He could remember the hunger and loneliness he had felt. Sometimes, the memories triggered, and he felt vulnerable without remembering why. This was a weakness, a significant hole in his personality. Anyone could make him vulnerable just by mentioning one memory. Before today, he didn't know why he always felt like the most pathetic person after having nightmares or memory triggers. But now, he knew why, because it was the same thing he was reading about in the book. He finally understood the reason behind it.
Hadrian also wondered why Hermione had started crying in his arms yesterday. Why had he hugged her without thinking? After reading the psychology book, he made some conclusions. She cried because her emotions needed rest. She had been bottling them up for who knows how long. They wanted to surface and be released, but she held them back due to fear. Fear of doing magic, fear of not being safe, fear of not being accepted by others, and much more. But when he offered his arm to comfort her and make her feel safe and understood by someone, her emotions finally surfaced again. Hadrian had concluded that his subconscious mind knew what it was like to be alone, what it was like to be unaccepted. His nightmares always made him feel that way. They started with him in a dark room, alone and starved, wanting to sob but being prevented by fear. He was alone, wanting someone to hug him and rescue him from there. He always cried when he woke up. He clung to his mother and sobbed violently. That had stopped a year before. Maybe that's why he had hugged Hermione instantly.
Yesterday, he hadn't come to school because Uncle Sirius had been blessed with twins. His mother and father had been in the hospital all day. Hadrian was also there; family mattered more than anything else. They had to wait 6 hours for the delivery of Perseus Arcturus Black and Melissa Melania Black in this harsh world. Perseus had the Black family name, and he looked exactly like Uncle Sirius. Melissa had the MacKinnon family name for girls, and she resembled Aunt Marlene, but her chin and hair were similar to Uncle Sirius. Girls born in the MacKinnon family were always named starting with 'M.' Hadrian didn't know why this kind of tradition existed in many wizarding families. When he asked about his father, he received a reply, 'When the time is right, I will tell you all about the house system and their common traditions.' That meant 'No questions' as well. Potters had no rules about names; they could choose anything they wanted.
It had been 20 minutes now. He wouldn't complain if she didn't come. That's when he saw her walking toward him.
Hermione had just finished lunch from her lunchbox. She felt a bit worried. She wanted to check if Hadrian had come to the tree today. If he didn't come, she would feel humiliated again.
Hermione had researched about Hadrian potter Potter yesterday.
Flashback:
After school ended at 3:00 pm, she usually waited for her mom to pick her up. This way, she met most of her teachers. The principal knew her because her dad was in the same golf club as him. Sometimes, he took her to his office and gave her new books to read. Today, she had a plan. She wanted to see the records about Harry Potter or ask the principal about him. So according to her plan, she went straight to the principal's office.
"Hello, sir. Can I come in?" Hermione asked politely.
"Yes, Hermione, you can come in. How can I help you? Do you need a new book? I don't have a new book on my bookshelves. You have already read them all." The principal smiled kindly.
"I don't need books sir, but I have a question," Hermione said, trying to sound innocent.
"Of course, dear. What would you like to ask?" The principal smiled warmly.
"Do you know Hadrian Potter? He's my new friend, but I don't know much about him. I'm not sure how to ask him."
The principal nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, I know him. He's a quiet and well-behaved student."
"But I think something might be wrong at his home. He seems distant and quiet," Hermione said with concern.
The principal listened carefully. "No, dear, don't worry about him. His family is lovely and well-mannered. They might be a bit strict, but I'm sure Harry is not being mistreated. According to his mother, he and his sister have always been quiet children."
Hermione wanted to find out more. "How do you know about him? Is he the top student in his class?"
The principal chuckled. "No, he's not a top student. He's just an average student. I remember because his mother always picks him up on time, Meaning she always pick and drop on exactly same time every day. And She phoned me this morning to say he wouldn't be coming to school."
Hermione felt more relieved to know Harry wasn't ignoring her. He just couldn't come today. But she had one more question, and she had to be careful.
"Many students still talk about an accident three months ago. Does strange stuff happen here often? Its new for me. I am here from September only, I'm just curious."
The principal nodded gravely. "No, not often. Accidents can happen anywhere, right? But sometimes, unusual things occur. Students have gone missing and found in pellicular situation, some were hurt badly, and others were found in embarrassing situations. We're trying to find out who's responsible. But, dear, you shouldn't worry about such matters. I've spoken to your father about it. You should focus on your studies and having fun."
The school landline phone rang, and the principal answered a phone call. Afterward, he smiled at Hermione.
"I think your mom is waiting for you at the school gate. You should go quickly and say hi to her for me."
"Thank you for telling me about Hadrian, sir," Hermione said, picking up her backpack and heading to meet her mom.
Flashback end.
But she had to go. Harry might have come today, and if she didn't show up, he'd may feels bad as she did. She checked her wristwatch and saw that 25 minutes had passed. She walked toward the tree.
"Hey," Hadrian said.
"Hello, Harry. You good? I waited yesterday, you know, but you didn't come."
"You waited? That's great. My godmother was in the hospital. She gave birth to twins."
"Yeah, good. I was a bit sad because I couldn't find you here. But it feels good when I talked to the principal; he said you were absent, so I felt relieved that you were not ignoring me," she answered.
"Yes. That's good. So, you came for education about controlling magic?"
"Yes, also, I want to learn about the magical world, you know. And how did you know about me before I said anything to you? I just want to be like you, powerful. You are terrifying, you know. I just want to be like that. I fear from everyone; I want to remove it. I know I could trust you. My instinct said that you may be a bit psycho, but you won't harm me. And my another problem is I want to solve anything. Mystery is not a thing for me; my curiosity makes me a nagging person. And I just get nervous without anything terrible. Even now, my mind is reeling to know all the things. Do unicorns exist? Do vampires also? Werewolves? I had prepared a note yesterday to ask you, but I didn't make it today because I am not sure you would come," she replied rapidly.
Hadrian had never thought a person could speak so fast. What if she started rapping? She could make it in NWA directly if she learned some rhymes. His mind took 2 minutes to process all the things she had asked.
"Okay, I knew you before you said anything because I was observing for quite some time. I try to do that all the time, but I failed to notice very things. I know I am progressing, but it takes a lot of practice to notice all the things at a single glance.
I don't know if I'm terrifying or not; I just sit here and there and observe fools. Many fools are always predictable, many have become experts at hiding. You just have to learn how each person reacts when they are nervous, how they talk when they are angry, what their expressions are. You could say that instantaneous things done by the body depend on your automatic nervous system. You don't do those things consciously; your mind automatically does them. You have to learn those events and find their secrets. And always observe; don't talk, just observe.
And maybe your instincts are right; I may be a bit psycho. You are also, you know. Normal people don't want to kill each other just because someone asks them. And they don't find it exciting. I don't know why you feel that way, but there must have been an event where your brain started giving irrational thoughts about other people. I call myself unique from others. If people can't accept me, I can manipulate them to accept myself.
Solving mysteries is also a bit of an addiction to me. I've had this since the age of 6, but I don't use my mouth to solve anything. You talk too much; you are so pathetic at this. You have to learn to control your mouth and your mind.
Yes, unicorns exist in the magical world. We don't live in the magical world, you know. My family left Wizarding Britain 6 years ago. I have books about magic and the magical world. I haven't gone to the magical world; I don't even want to go now. I will go when I am ready," he whispered the last part in a very small voice.
She seemed to ponder his answer for some time, and again, she asked,
"Why do you hate all the people around you?"
Harry stared at her intently. Did she think he hated all the people? Yes, he may dislike most of them, but not all of them. And she shouldn't be asking that. Harry has no intention of revealing his secret, so he's telling her what she needs to hear. She may appear harmless, but she is clever in her own right, and she could be ruthless if needed. But he had said she could be an ally, so he is telling her as much as he could for now. Maybe he could trust her more in the coming days and tell her more about his grand plan, but today? He had to learn to trust first.He don't know how to trust people. He hadn't read about that topic yet. She is magical and doesn't know about the magical world and its cruelty. She will learn what he tells her. He was going to show her what they can do to other people.
Hadrian could see that she was waiting for an answer. He slowly replied, "Do you think I would answer that?"
Hermione looked at him strangely. She was confused for a moment, and finally, she seemed to understand what he meant by that. "I don't know. But you could trust me."
Hadrian looked at his feet. He didn't want to answer that, not because she seems untrustworthy, but because Harry had given her proof that he had indeed killed and harmed fellow students, yet she hadn't told anyone. But was it enough to trust her? Could he call her for a vow? Maybe they could do that. Could she be his John Watson? Yes, maybe. She was not tainted by the wizarding world and its vile ideology. She might be the most intelligent 9-year-old he had ever seen. He had observed many children over the past year. He was only 8 years old, but perhaps his judgment would last. Maybe they should pledge loyalty to each other. Hadrian could do that. He could teach her about the wizarding world based on his ideas. He would introduce her in a way that would make her despise all of them, just as he did. But for that, he had to gain complete trust, and to gain trust, you had to give trust. He finally concluded what he would do.
"I want you to ask something first. I may sound a little older, but you also talk like mature people. Your thinking may be childish, but your speaking skills are good when you are not babbling and ranting. Back to the main point, I want both of us to share loyalty with each other for a lifetime. You can't share my secret with anyone, and I can't share yours with anyone. We will not use each other's secrets for personal gain. There are vows in the Wizarding world. I am not too familiar with them. I have been homeschooled since I was 7 years old. It's only been a year, but I know some wording of vows. We have to take vows and seal them with magic."
"You want both of us to make a lifetime decision based on a single conversation?" Hermione asked, bewildered.
"Yes, I want that. I don't want many friends. I always wanted a single friend, and I think you are qualified. If you cannot do that, then we should forget this happened and go back to our own work. I will also have to slit your throat if you try to tell anyone about this conversation."
She looked at him strangely, but he could tell she was happy. She answered, "Yes, I could do that. I don't want many friends either. You are the first person to understand me, and I could do that. I am trusting you that you will not misuse my trust about these vows. I don't know anything about wizarding vows, and I don't even know how things work in that world. If you want me to take the vow, then I will do it. I have promised I will give you what you want."
"Okay, let's do it then. Give me your hand and repeat after me. Don't mistake any words; you could harm both of us. I don't know much about vows, but it's an exciting thing to do. I want to experience this too."
Hermione came closer to him, clasped his hand, and Hadrian asked, "Are you ready?"
She nodded nervously.
"Repeat after me.
I solemnly swear in life and magic...
I solemnly swear in life and magic...
...to protect Hermione Jean Granger's secrets, to aid and support her in all actions, to never reveal her secrets for personal gain, and to never knowingly harm her...
...to protect Hadrian Charlus Potter's secrets, to aid and support him in all actions, to never reveal his secrets for personal gain, and to never knowingly harm him...
...So mote it be!
...So mote it be!
A binding white thread coiled around their clasped hands, and slowly it faded.
Hermione was looking at this in awe, and Hadrian could see she was looking with astonishment. "It's definitely an exciting thing to do," she muttered and started to laugh manically. Hadrian watched her strangely. Why was she laughing now? She finally said, "This is the most irresponsible thing I have ever done, and I don't even regret it. I have pledged my undying loyalty to you in a moment, and I was thinking I am more sane than you."
Hadrian could feel that it was a time to say what he has to say.
"Hey its not that funny, it may be but ,leave that."Hadrian Continued "Regarding your earlier questions, I don't hate people around me, you know. I don't like their thoughts. They think too differently from me. People go to church to confess their sins. What good does it do? You can't bring someone back from the dead by confessing. If you do something, you have to be ready for the consequences. People should be prepared to face anything if they are willing to do anything.
You've accidentally killed a person, and you feel remorse. If you accidentally kill an ant, do you feel remorse? An ant also has a life, doesn't it? It can also feel pain. People can kill and hunt wild animals inside their own homes, but they say you can't kill people? People also say you that you can't decide who lives and who dies just like that. Then why do they kill other animals because they could kill them? You have power to decide the fate of animals but not the fate of humans? You can see that in the ecosystem, the superior often kills the inferior; it's a normal thing. People can kill people in war, drop bombs on entire cities, and call it a great achievement of science. How many innocents died in world wars? Which countries feel remorse now, except the defeated ones? Everyone is happy in their victory. Now, they are showing power to defeated countries and defeated people.
Why do you think my family left magical Britain? People in power forced them to leave. In the wizarding world, most people think they can do anything just like that because they're in power, and they can harm the powerless. I want to show them that their power is nothing compared to mine. I want to show people in power that they are nothing but a bully. I'll show it when the time comes; I just have to be persistent and wait for the right moment. I'm saying all of this because I want a friend. I will need many people to achieve this, But before other I need a person who I could trust and Help me without question. I want someone who can understand all the things I have said. You are not touched by corrupted thoughts and corrupt peoples. I want someone like you to help me in this revenge. I want you to be the Dark Queen when I become the Dark King."
A/N: I have a feeling that I may have gone out of Character but Its my first time writing and I don't know how should I express the another side character without changing plot.