First meetings
Harry hummed as he wandered the alley, bag clutched against his chest. It held his new wand; the one meant to fit him best. That’s what the woman had indicated, after all. They were warm and comforting to him, balancing who he was and who he wanted to become.
She had felt like his mother for a moment, everything he craved in life. Her hair had shadowed his, hues of red blending together. Her words, too, had been soft and gentle. It felt nice, for once, to be touched with kindness instead of maliciousness. The woman was so different from his uncle- whose touch only brought pain.
He hated it.
He HaTeD it.
HE HATED IT.
He hated how it felt, how it hurt. He hated what it did to him, how the pain didn’t even stop after escaping. It should be better now that there was a distance between him and the other.
Still, the pain didn’t stop.
It felt like sitting on the porch of a house that was destroyed. The house is only rubble, with walls collapsed and the foundation far too ruined to be repaired. Harry is sitting on the porch of a ruined house with nothing to lose. It’s not what he wanted but it was what he was given.
Heart heavy, he wandered the ally. There wasn’t anything to do right now, not until the tailor’s shop opened. He needed new clothes, after all. The rags from Dudley were only fit for a whale to wear.
Like a ghost, he walked through the decrypt alley. No one dared stop him, not when he had eyes the color of death and hair the color of dried blood. It was a relief to have a silence that didn’t hurt. The people, scarce as they were, provided sweet white noise. It felt so good. It was right between too quiet and too loud.
Too quiet meant he was up to no good, while too loud told Uncle Vernon would-
No. It was best to cut that train of thought off before it could start. He already had too many problems. Remembering would make it all worse.
He was stopped by a gentle touch and even softer words.
“Hello, darling,” the woman murmured, voice soft and smooth. “My name is Narcissa. What’s yours?”
“Hadrian,” he hummed. She was a woman, which meant he was safe. Petunia hadn’t done anything other than ignore him. Hopefully, this woman would do the same.
“What are you doing here?” She guided him away from the alley, leading him to a shaded area that he had missed at first.
They sat down together, the child basking in the warmth his aunt provided him, even if it wouldn’t last. Good things never did.
“Why did we leave?” His brows furrowed. It didn’t make sense. If she was going to hurt him, why didn’t she do it there?
Knockturn alley was dark, brutally so, with very little morals to guide those living in there. The intelligent thing would have been to hurt him there, especially when there was no one to care about him.
That’s the thing about being alone, you see. When there are no parents or guardians who care, it’s all too easy to disappear. All those with families eventually do, whether by their hand or by another’s or the twisted hand of fate.
“Knockturn Ally isn’t a…” She hesitated. “It’s- It isn’t a good place for children.” The woman said at last.
“But it was safe .”
Her heart broke for the child who thought it such a dark place to be safe.
“Hadrian-” She broke off, not knowing what to say.
“It’s okay.” Harry patted her face softly, hands small and soft against her skin. “You can let me go; I’ll be safe.”
“No.” Narcissa shook her head. “Darling, you can’t be alone like this.”
“I’m not alone, though.” He looked over his shoulder, closing his eyes for a moment. “I’m never alone.”
“Where are your parents?”
His eyes snapped to hers, burning with grief and amusement. “They’re dead.”
“Oh, darling.” She embraced him, warm and soft. Was this what it felt like to have a mother, to be cared for so deeply? “Whose taking care of you?”
“Don’t worry about it.” He leaned back, hugging himself tightly. “Please, don’t worry about me.”
“I can’t.” Her voice broke. “You’re a child. I can’t just let you go like this, not when you’re alone.”
“My wife speaks the truth.”
The child jumped as the man joined him. If he remembered correctly, Lucius had magic that felt as safe as his wife did. Still, he couldn’t let down his guard. Doing so with his aunt and uncle had only brought pain and misery.
It hurts.
Please.
Please.
Please stop.
I don’t want it-
Stop.
No
No
No more.
“You shouldn’t care.” He offered them a sad smile. “I’m no one.”
“No child is no one.” The blonde said firmly.
“Thank you,” Harry said softly. “It’s a nice lie. I can’t believe it, though.”
The two adults shared a look, one that Harry didn’t understand. Their magic didn’t feel dangerous, though. If anything, they felt safe.
“We’re not lying.”
“Why should you care?” His eyes burned anger and longing mixing.
“Hadrian-”
He deflated. “It’s okay. I’ve got to get home to my guardians.”
“Can we take you to them?” Lucius asked. “I want to make sure you get home safely.
Stomach churning, he snapped to awareness, the heavy fuzz rapidly fading away. Adults were dangerous. They weren’t safe, no matter how nice their magic felt.
“They’re working.” Harry looked away, arms wrapping around himself. “I can get home by myself.”
“We’d feel a lot better if we could make sure you get home safe.” She smiled softly at him, corners of her mouth ticking up ever so slightly.
“Papa will be mad if I show where I- we live.” He said, lies tasting like ash in his mouth. “I’ll be perfectly fine walking back by myself.”
The man studied him closely, eyes narrowing before widening. “Do you live by yourself, Hadrian?”
“No.” He bared his teeth. “And don’t bother trying to figure out where I live. My papa will beat your ass.”
Narcissa sighed fondly, looking at him with a tenderness he hated. “How about we walk with you for a little bit to ensure you stay safe.”
He squinted at him. “How do I know you won’t try anything?”
“You don’t.” The man shrugged. “But you can meet our son if you’d like.”
He paused, voice tiny. “Is he nice?”
“Why don’t you find out.” The woman teased, guiding him forward. “Where do you need to go?”
“I need to get new clothes.” Hadrian melted into the soft touch, eyes fluttering shut.
“I know just where to go,” Lucius said smugly. “It has the best clothes in the world.”
“I don’t know if I can pay for it,” he whispered, eyes lowering to the ground. “I’ve- Papa doesn’t have a lot of money, and we need to ration it out.”
“We’ll take care of it.”
“We can just go somewhere cheap-”
Narcissa knelt in front of him. “We are doing what we would do for our child, for any child who needs help.”
“Okay.” He breathed, eyes wide.
After a moment, he whispered into her ear. “Will you stay with me? I don’t want to be by myself with them .” Because what if he was a man? What if he did what uncle Vernon did? Narcissa was safe, that much he knew, so she would stay with him. His magic told him so, so it had to be true.
“Of course, sweetheart.” The softness in her voice was understanding, not pity. “Of course.”
He was grateful for that.
They walked together quietly, Hadrian holding Narcissa’s hand. She was safe and had proven so by being the opposite of Petunia. The dual-haired woman was kind and did all she could to make him comfortable. It was something he had never felt before.
He, of course, had seen Dudley receive similar treatment; Dudley was loved while he was a freak. Being cared for like this was refreshing.
“Hadrian?” Narcissa broke the silence. “Can I know your full name?”
He had known this was coming, but he didn’t think it would be so soon. Adults rarely cared who he was, especially with the reputation the Dursleys had built for him. Even outside of that, no one paid him any attention. He was quiet and watchful, knowing which floorboards creaked and who was coming based on the sound of their feet. That’s what an abusive household had taught him, but this was different. This world was different.
His eyes narrowed at her, head tilted to the side. “Why?”
“In some parts, I’m curious. You look a lot like my cousin.” She sighed.
It was true in so many ways. The child was slight and willowy, just as Regulas had been at that age- though with less baby fat on him. He was so young and far too skinny for her care. Hadrian also looked like her great-aunt, Dorea. They shared the same pointed chin and curly hair. He was an adorable child who deserved far more love than he had been given so far in life.
“I’m also worried about you because you shouldn’t be living alone.” She couldn’t help voicing her concerns. What if this had been her Draco?
Hadrian froze before denying it vehemently. He’d never let anyone know he was living alone, even if they were family. It was too dangerous.
“I’m glad to hear that,” she said while exchanging looks with her husband.
They didn’t want to push him away by prying. The both of them had learned that lesson with Severus. He had been a couple of years younger than them, but they had cared deeply for him. Severus was family, even as a young teenager scowling at them to leave him alone. It took time to gain his trust for them to be allowed to help. So they would wait until Hadrian wanted what they had to offer.
“Would you treat me differently if I told you my last name?” Hadrian narrowed his eyes at her. “I don’t want to be treated differently.”
She knelt in front of him, uncaring of the people passing them. Lucius was keeping guard, and she trusted him to do that.
“For the most part, you wouldn’t be treated differently.” Narcissa paused, pressing a shaky hand to his face. He was so young, too young to worry about things like that.
He leaned into the hand, cradling his cheek, eyes fluttering shut.
“But if you were my cousin or nephew, you would be treated as family.” She continued. “That’s the only difference.”
“Hadrian Severin James Potter-Black.” He looked away.
“Severin?” Lucius choked. It was the first time he had seen the man startled. Had he been more prepared, Hadrian would have cackled at the shock it caused. Unfortunately, that would have to wait for a later time.
“My mom named me after her brother.” He raised his chin in defiance. They couldn’t do nothing to him in a public place. So baring his teeth didn’t scare him. Hadrian had done the unthinkable to survive and was not afraid to fight dirty.
Telling them was both painful and a relief. Finally, someone else knew, even if it would only lead to heartbreak. After all, truth has only led him to pain and loneliness.
Narcissa stood up, guiding the small family away. “I didn’t know Lily had a brother.”
“They had a bad fight and stopped talking.” He collapses inwards, tears prickling in the corner of his eyes. “But blood pacts are not easily broken. He will always be my uncle, even if he hates me.”
“He won’t hate you.”
“How do you know that?” Sorrowful eyes looked up at the sky. “There’s no point in lying to me.”
“Lily is not the only person Severus made a blood pact with.”
“Truly?” His head snapped in the direction of the adults. It seemed they truly cared that they could be a family one day.
“Yes, darling.” She gathered him into a hug. “You are family. Let us take care of you.”
For a minute, he could see it. He could see mornings spent together eating breakfast. He could see fun outings and Narcissa dragging him out to go shopping. It was a beautiful dream but one he couldn’t linger in. It wasn’t worth it, not when it would destroy him once more, and he’s had enough of building himself up from the ruins of before.
“How do I know you won’t hurt me?” He breathed, stepping back. “I can’t trust you.”
It hurt. It hurt so fucking bad.
“Hadrian-”
“How do I know you won’t be like my mother’s sister?” Hadrian asked, voice bordering on hysterical.
“Let us try,” Lucius implored. It was the closest he had ever come to begging. Hadrian was his nephew through Severus and Narcissa. Their grandparents were siblings, after all. The blood of Dorea Black was in his veins just as the blood of Pollux Black was in hers.
“No.” Hugging himself tightly, he took another step backward.
“Please, darling,” Narcissa called.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
With that, he twisted and disappeared with a quiet snap.