Hadrian lets out a breath as he lands, kneeling opposite from Pieter, watching as Pieter blows onto his torch bringing the fire into a spiraling form of a dragon before sending it toward Hadrian with a grin, they were both pleased Headmaster Karkaroff gave them the best part of the performance.
Hadrian returned Pieter's grin as he pulled the fire dragon into his orbit, listening to the whispers of excitement from the crowd of Hogwarts students before allowing his magic, sparking and wild, always raging just beneath the surface, to swallow the flame and rebirth it in blue. Hadrian was excellent with Fiendfyre, the barely controlled raging furies being submitted and pacified beneath his will, to entertain children.
He sent the horntail shaped flames for a wide loop far above the students heads as the teachers let out gasps of fear, being sure to keep a firm clamp on the furious magic and far above the students so they weren't in any danger, then yanking hard to redirect it, it flies straight back at him, circling Hadrian possessively in the moment before it dissapates, just in time for Headmaster Karkaroff to lead Viktor in to all the whistles and cheers.
Hadrian gives Viktor a grin when they make eye contact, the dour looking man was displeased with Headmaster Karkaroff's attempts to endear himself to the Quidditch star. It was in these attempts that allowed Hadrian to come with the fifteen of age students who'd come to participate in the tournament, even though he himself wasn't old enough and had little interest in joining. Hadrian was here to support Viktor, who he was certain would be chosen by the cup.
Hadrian bounces over to Viktor's side as he joins the others, Karkaroff now sits at the head table with the other two headmasters. Hadrian recognizes the silver outfits of the Beauxbatons students sitting at the table with blue kids. The Hogwarts students were split up by colors, the other three tables being green, red, and yellow.
The red and yellow tables look like they're vibrating as they strain to see Viktor, making Hadrian scowl. The green table to also eyeing him but they seem to hold a modicum of decorum so when Viktor takes a step towards the green table the rest of the Durmstrang follow.
Hadrian adjusts his fur coat so it doesn't rest against the back of his neck as he sits between a blond haired kid and Viktor, not liking how smug the green boy looked, nor how he reached across Hadrian to Viktor offering to shake his hand with a pompous "I'm Malfoy. Draco Malfoy."
Hadrian scowls at the arm and then at the boy, Malfoy, who is obviously the same age as himself. "Haff you no respect?" Hadrian spits out in english, glaring at the boy.
Hadrian can tell the other students are also scowling by the way the boy shrinks back. Hadrian turns to talk to Baglan across the table, knowing Viktor would participate when he was ready.
"Rude little veela boy. Acting like he matters to Viktor." Hadrian mocks in Bulgarian, Baglan and his twin brother Gruffynd smirking in amusement, though they were also part veela.
"He will learn his place, worry not. No other veela around will spoil him. This year, many veela." Gruffynd responds, tilting his head towards the french school.
"Your Fiendfyre was much more impressive then the practice. I liked the dragon." Boris jumps in from his seat on the other side of Viktor making Hadrian grin and point to Pieter, who is mildly embarrassed "Pieter is the one who made it a dragon, it was a great improvement!"
Hadrian's attention is grabbed as there's movement beside him, a handsome dark skinned wizard with purple eyes offers his hand to Hadrian to shake. "Greetings gorgeous, I am Blaise Zabini."
Hadrian grinned as Zabini kissed his knuckles and Viktor sits up stiffer behind Hadrian. "Hadrian Peverell. You are much more polite then the other vas."
"You'll have to excuse Draco, he got ahead of himself in his excitement." Hadrian notices how Malfoy maneuvers around him to get to Viktor while Zabini distracts him. "You plan to join the tournament?"
"No no, I vas invited to support Viktor. I am sure he vill be chosen." Hadrian nods as Zabini's eyes flick to Viktor for a moment when he's mentioned.
"How'd you end up at Durmstrang? From what I've heard there's not a whole lot of sun up there." Zabini asked, pointing at Hadrian's skin, when he was confused, that is darker then the other Durmstrang students.
Hadrian felt Viktor shift in his seat as he pointedly ignored Malfoy, Viktor leaning over and resting his head on Hadrian's shoulder to look at Zabini, who sat up straighter in his own seat.
"Make friend?" Hadrian nods in answer, ignoring Zabini's confused face at the Bulgarian. "We must return to the ship soon. Headmaster will have things to say."
Hadrian smiled at Viktor as he turned to address the rest of Durmstrang before looking back at Zabini. "Ve must be returning. I vill see you another day."
Before Zabini can respond Hadrian is standing up in unison with the Durmstrang students, walking next to Viktor as he leads the way out of the room.
-----
Albus Dumbledore has been having a terrible time. He had been so confident in Harry Potter's safety he hadn't gone to check on him. Only to find, before his first year of Hogwarts, that the boy had been taken, along with his cousin, by Muggle child services when he was six.
Albus spent weeks following leads trying to find the boy, finding his cousin in a group home, to find the boy had been adopted and passed around a lot before disappearing altogether. Lost in the hundreds of other cases. Albus was sure he was alive, he was still in the admittance book.
When letters went out the letter for Harry Potter came back unopened, but with a quilled refusal tied to it. There was no address on either letter, which is surprising andmeans he's somewhere unplottable.
Albus had to move around his plans when Harry Potter never showed up for the first year, or the second, or any.
Now his luck seems to have shifted again,for the better this time, because sitting among the Durmstrang students is one with James's face and Lily's eyes if neither of their names.
Yes Hadrian Peverell was definitely Harry Potter, but how did he end up at Durmstrang under another name?
Igor Karkaroff hands over the list of student names he'd brought, for safety reasons both visiting schools would be doing this.
"Igor, you've brought an underage wizard?" Albus has to appraoch this smart, Karkaroff may not even know this is Harry Potter.
"Yes, it vas a last minute addition I assure you. Mr. Peverell vished to come along to be with his betrothed, and only just managed to complete his first term vork to come along." Karkaroff was smiling in his sneaking I-know-something-you-don't way. "Mr. Peverell excells in all of his studies, he'll haff to do the same placement tests as the older students to see vhere to put him."
"His betrothed? He's fourteen how could he be betrothed?" Albus asks, feeling like his heart has stopped.
"Age of consent in Bulgaria is fourteen Albus, you forget yourself. Mr. Peverell and Mr. Krum vill be married when Mr. Peverell reaches his majority at sixteen as far as I'm avare."
"And you know-?" Albus pauses, watching Karkaroff for any hints of knowledge.
"That he's Harry Potter? Of course. Has a big scar to prove it. He's under the protection of Durmstrang now. You of all people should know how little ve tolerate dark lords."
-----
Hadrian had been celebrating Viktor's name coming out when his own followed it. The cursed named Harry Potter, haunting him even after he's left it behind.
"Sir. Vat is not even my name anymoore. How con someone put my old name in and haff it still effect me?" Hadrian's words are coming over slurred and butchered by his accent in his anger.
"It is ancient magic-" "I know vat!" Hadrian cuts in but Albus pushes on. "You will lose your magic if you do not participate."
Albus wishes he thought to learn Bulgarian as Hadrian turns and asks Krum a question, that is answered with a scowl and a determined voice, and Karkaroff is now talking, whatever they say makes Hadrian smile before Karkaroff turns to Albus.
"Hadrian vill not be competing. Durmstrang vill support his decision."
-----
Its a week before the first task. Hadrian hadn't gone to the weighing of the wands, and was sticking by his decision and whatever consequences that woukd result from it.
Now he stands with Viktor beside him and Karkaroff on his other side in a very tired Dumbledore's office.
"You cannot lose your magic Harry. What will you do when Voldemort returns?" Dumbledore is staring at him, imploring he makes the best decision.
"That vill haff to be someone else's problem to deal vith." Hadrian shrugs, keeping an eye on Karkaroff in his peripheral, as the dark lords true name hurts his marked followers. Hadrian would end this meeting immediately if Karkaroff is hurting too badly.
Albus lets out a heavy sigh, hand coming up to wipe his face as he makes this decision. "There is a prophecy."
-----
Hadrian stares down at the pensieve, mind still wrapping around what they'd witnessed.
"You see my boy, why I insist you cannot risk losing your magic. When Voldemort returns only you can defeat him."
Karkaroff is shaking, his skin pale and clammy, but he still stands with one hand on Hadrian's shoulder. He's terrified, he would suffer greatly if not be killed outright when the dark lord rises again.
"Nothing changes. I will still support you just the same as I have since you first came into my care all those years ago. This changes nothing." Karkaroff is speaking in Bulgarian, which is good, Hadrian isn't confident he could've interpreted any other language at the moment. "Should the dark lord return you are not expected to fight him. I will do everything in my power to keep him away from you."
Karkaroff turns back to Dumbledore, having rebolstered himself. "Durmstrang and I stand beside any decision Hadrian makes and vill continue to protect him regardless of consequences."
Dumbledore is arguing back and forth with Karkaroff, but Hadrian's focus is entirely on Viktor's hand on the small of his back, sure and steady, and Karkaroff's hand on his shoulder, shaky and pale. Both standing by his decisions even when terrified.
"I vill do the tournament."
-----
Hadrian is shaking as he stares down at the motionless body of his betrothed, he'd already dropped the cup after landing back outside the maze. People are rushing around and pulling Viktor out of his arms.
Hadrian's eyes look through the crowd seeking Karkaroff's, but he's gone. Hadrian thought he might be. He would've felt the dark lords return and fled as soon as he could.
Alastor Moody has him by the arm now, half dragging him away, but Hadrian is clawing back screaming at being pulled from Viktor's side. People are shouting and then he's on the ground as Moody fights with someone.
Hadrian is lost, brain not recognizing any faces as he floats through the world, ears still ringing from the portkey, limbs still trembling from the crucio. He can't see Viktor anywhere. He wants to go home.
He blinks, there's a crack and a tugging sensation, he blinks again, ahead of him is Karkaroff's home, where he grew up and spent the happiest moments of his life.
He sees Karkaroff, who had froze in his desperate packing and spun to see him. Hadrian breaks, falling to his knees as he sobs out a "papa- Viktor- he" and then he's wrapped up in Karkaroff's arms and being hushed and rocked and it doesn't make him feel as safe as it did before.
Hadrian keeps his eyes open, the green light imprinted on the inside of his eyelids in such a way he'll never forget it. Karkaroff is ordering house elves to keep packing as he holds a hand against the back of Hadrian's head and coos softly to him.
Two small matchboxes are pushed into Hadrian's hands, his and Viktor's belongings, already packed.
"Viktor- he's- he tried to save me-" Hadrian breathes out between words, his hands clutching Karkaroff's robes is a shaky grip.
"Oh my dear." Karkaroff holds Hadrian closer.
There's cracks of apparation behind him, and a loud mad cackle from the front door as thundering steps approach. With a desperate look at the house elf that appears in that moment Karkaroff shoves Hadrian away and into the small creature. He stands and turns, ready to face his past.