The Next Month or So
Hadrian POV -
Hadrian went to his table and saw the point counters. -575. The Gryffindors were trying to bounce back from the damage Brainless, Dense, and Ignorant. But the way this is going, they were only going to sink deeper into this pit of negatives.
“Hey, Professor Snape,” Hadrian calls out.
“Yes?”
“Could we talk after breakfast?”
“Sure.”
~After breakfast~
“So, I was writing to Marvolo about why you hate my father and he mentioned something about life debts,” Hadrian says.
“And you want to know what it is,” Severus replies. Hadrian nods. “A life debt is exactly like what it sounds like, you have a debt to another person until they declare it fulfilled. Though there are a lot of rules to getting a life debt.”
“Like what?”
“Like that, if they aren’t fulfilled, they transfer to the next generation, you can’t have any ulterior motives, the person who incurs the life debt must admit it, the person who receives it decides when it is fulfilled unless Lady Magic steps in, etc.”
“So what does that have to do with why you hate my father?”
“He got a life debt from me when he and his friend set a werewolf on me.”
“What? How?”
“At the time I was a student, another student was a werewolf. Potter and his friends were being suspicious and I wanted to know why. I followed them to the place where the werewolf transformed. Then, Potter got cold feet and saved me.”
“So my father knew about the werewolf?”
“Yes, he did, he was friends with him.”
“But if the werewolf killed someone, would it get the dementor’s kiss?”
“Yes.”
“So Potter only saved you so that his friend didn’t get kissed?”
“No, as you know, Dumbledore has favorites. He would have protected the werewolf by not letting his secret get out.”
“Why didn’t you tell anyone?”
“Dumbledore made me promise not to reveal the werewolf’s identity and to keep the situation a secret.”
“An unbreakable vow?”
“No, the vow he didn’t make me take an unbreakable vow, just promise not to tell anyone.”
“He didn’t make you swear on anything? Just took your word?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I imagine because he trusted me.”
“And since he trusted you…”
“I didn’t want to break that trust, even more so when I became a spy.”
“Oh…”
“*Tempus*” Severus cast. “I’ve got class in a few minutes, and so do you.”
“Alright, I’ll see ya around,” Hadrian replies.
~The Next Day~
Owls circled the tables, delivering mail as they flew. An owl drops a letter beside Hadrian’s plate. Hadrian grabs the letter and opens it.
Dear Prince Hadrian Peverell-Potter,
I’m not sure if you read the Daily Prophet, but if you did, you would realize they have insulted you and me in one of their articles. Thankfully, it's not on the front page, but I have sent them a cease-and-desist. If this is not acceptable, please let me know.
Sincerely, Antonin Luis Dolohov
Hadrian sighs. Draco looks at him. “What’s up?”
“Nothing, we should get going to DADA.”
“Ugh,” Blaise says, we have that idiot again?”
“Yep,” Hadrian replies.
“Wonderful,” Draco says.
~October 31~
The past month or so was relaxing, to say the least. Everyone got back into their routine, going to classes, studying, and other stuff. But there was one thing that was very different from last year, besides the DADA teacher. Quidditch tryouts and Draco was ecstatic about them. All he could talk about the weeks leading up to the tryouts was quidditch. Draco tried out for an open chaser position that was previously held by a seventh-year. Needless to say, Draco got in, thankfully, others Hadrian and the others feared he would never stop talking about quidditch.
As a reward for getting on the team, Lucius bought the entire team Nimbus 2001s. The next day, the entire team got up early to go to the quidditch pitch to train on the new brooms. The Gryffindors were on the pitch first, but Marcus Flint, the Slytherin team captain, got permission from Madam Hooch, and Severus, so they got kicked out. Dense and Ignorant were on the field for some reason, and they made a commotion. They said something about Draco buying his way onto the team, which is entirely untrue as they were gifts, not bribes. Also, by the time they got the brooms, Draco was already on the team, you know, since they were gifts for getting on the team to begin with. When Draco told them this, Dense said he was lying.
Anyway, then Dense tried to curse them, but since his wand is broken (which is a serious safety issue and why Lady Weasley didn’t buy him a new one was beyond Hadrian's comprehension, not that he wanted to know what was going on in the Banshee’s head, which was Lady Weasley’s new nickname) the curse backfired and him Dense, making him throw up slugs. Severus then came on the field after seeing what was happening. He gave Dense a month’s worth of detention for trying to curse another student and said “The only reason that you aren’t getting suspended is that the curse didn’t hit anyone beside you”. Of course, Dumbledore tried to get the detentions removed, but Severus threatened to take it up with the board, who were aware of the situation due to Draco writing to Lucius.
Ignorant got a week's worth of detention for “causing incidents” according to Draco. Ignorant and Dense were also banned from the pitch until Madam Hooch decided that they were “remorseful of their actions”.
Also, the Gryffindor quidditch captain, Oliver Wood, was really mad that Slytherins interrupted their “practice” (how is it practice if they aren’t even on their brooms? They were just standing there like fools) and went to McGonagall, who parroted it back to Dumbledore, who then tried to give the Slytherin team a month’s worth of detention. He then gave Gryffindor 600 points for “standing up for themselves”. Just pulling them out of the negatives and launching them into first place.
Severus was naturally, pissed. He told Lucius, who told the school board, who then called McGonagall and Dumbledore in to explain their actions. After poorly defending their clearly biased actions, they were put on suspension and were banned from taking more than 10 points from any house and giving more than 15 to a house. They were also banned from giving out more than a week’s worth of detention and before winter break, all their actions from the moment they started teaching until then would be under review. Since any points taken are recorded in a book only the governors had access to, they could see just how far back this was. Unfortunately, Dumbledore and McGonagall weren’t fired due to Dumbledore having a few friends on the board. According to Lucius, they are “nuisances with less than 3 brain cells”. The board then awarded Slytherin the 600 points Gryffindor got and Gryffindor lost the 600 points awarded to them. Gryffindor then dropped further into the negatives for “poor sportsmanship” and “being spoiled brats” according to Lord Abbott, who was on the board. Needless to say, Slytherin was very happy about their major point lead.
To add salt to the wound, the first quidditch match of the season was between Slytherin and Gryffindor. Gryffindor suffered a brutal defeat, 434 to 10. The game was almost an hour long, during which, Wood simply couldn’t keep up with the speed of the Nimbus 2001 and Slytherin’s chasers were working in sync. The Gryffindor chaser rarely got a chance to touch the ball, and when they did, they were swiftly knocked out by the bluggers sent their way from the Slytherin beaters. According to the twins, Wood tried to drown himself in the showers for such a crushing defeat. It was all people could talk about for a while.
After getting over the loss, or seemingly getting over the loss, Wood complained to McGonagall that it was unfair that Slytherins got the Nimbus 2001s while Gryffindor had Cleanswepts and Comets. McGonagall and Dumbledore somehow pooled enough money to buy the entire quidditch team Nimbus 2001s to “level the playing field”. The Slytherin team, in particular Draco, were fuming at this announcement, and the Gryffindors looked smug. Draco wrote about it to his father, who then called McGonagall and Dumbledore to explain themselves once again. It ended with the two of them having to either buy the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw quidditch teams Nimbus 2001s as well or to return the Nimbus 2001s to the stores. Then the Gryffindor quidditch team smugly told the board that they had gotten rid of their old brooms, well everyone was smug besides the Weasley Twins. The board then said that Dumbledore and McGonagall must buy the other two teams Nimbus 2001s then, and they have to pay Lucius back the money he paid for the Nimbus 2001s. Their pocketbooks were bleeding after that.
And, to make it even worse for the Gryffindor quidditch team, and not to be outdone. Lucius, Marvolo, Severus, and Hadrian all pitched in to pay for a broom still in development. Lucius knew the owners of several broom-making companies such as the Cleansweep Broom Company, Comet Trading Company, Ellerby and Spudmore, Flyte and Barker, Nimbus Racing Broom Company, Universal Brooms Ltd, and more. Randolph Spudmore, the son of Able Spudmore, co-owner of Ellerby and Spudmore was working on a new broom. During a tour of their development lab on one of the weekends, Hadrian (who was there because Lucius invited him along) became friends with Spudmore. Randolph was also a former Slytherin, so when Hadrian told him about this, he was infuriated. Randolph then told Hadrian that he was done making a new broom, faster than any of the Nimbus models. Hadrian then told Lucius, Marvolo, and Severus. Hadrian asked Randolph how much it would cost to make the model, and after talking with Lucius, Marvolo, and Severus, they told Randolph that they would pay him a lot of money if he would make 15 copies for the Slytherin team. 15 to be used and 2 spares in case anything happened. Randolph agreed and about a week later, not 15 but 19 new brooms were sent to Severus with a little note.
Dear Hadrian, Lord Prince, Lord Malfoy, and Lord Slytherin,
Here are the 15 brooms you paid for. I also have decided on a name for these brooms. There are 4 extras, one for each of you. Thank you for your business.
From, Randolph Spudmore
P.S. They will be known as “Firebolts”. I hope you like the name.
Severus gave Marvolo, Hadrian, and Lucius their brooms before calling the entire Slytherin quidditch team to meet in their office. Afterwards, they all came out with a package the length of a broom and with a big smile on their faces, before it was quickly hidden behind a mask.
The next quidditch game was somehow against Gryffindor again (Hadrian thought Dumbledore rigged it in some way). The Slytherins all flew out using their new Firebolts, and Hadrian could see Wood’s mouth fall to the ground, as did the rest of the Gryffindor team. Wood immediately asked what broom they had, and Marcus [who told Hadrian to call him Marcus, (in fact entire quidditch team, besides Draco, told him to do so) somehow knew that Hadrian helped get them the brooms, though Hadrian had a sneaking suspicion that Severus had something to do with it] proudly said that they had brooms that weren’t on the market yet. Wood freaked out and declared that they shouldn’t be allowed to play on those brooms because not everyone could get them. When Madam Hooch didn’t disqualify them, Wood threw a fit and got himself disqualified. The Slytherins then slaughtered the Gryffindors, nearly 500 points to 0.
Hadrian sat down at the Slytherin table. Jack-o-lanterns were floating around in place of the candles. There was a mountain of candy at the ends of each table and the center. Hadrian vanished the stack of candy, and then Marcus and Rowle got up and did the same to the candy at the end of the table. Besides that, the rest of the evening went surprisingly well. None of the Gryffindors caused a huge amount of trouble. Though, Dense and Ignorant weren’t there, so that might be the reason why.
However, it seems that peace for Hadrian was not meant to be on Halloween, because minutes after the feast ended, a loud screech echoed through the corridors. Hadrian looked at the other second years, who nodded before approaching the source of the scream. When they got to a corner, they saw a giant spider.
“Is that Professor Snape, Professor Flitwick, and… Hagrid?” Pansy asks.
“The oaf?” Draco asks.
“Yep,” Hadrian replies. Hagrid was standing… in front of the spider? Severus and Flitwick were standing at the opposite side of the corridor with their wands pointed at the massive spider.
“Draco,” Hadrian says. Said person looks at Hadrian. “Go to Severus’ office and floo your father and the ministry.” Draco looks at the spider, then back at Hadrian, before nodding.
“Please! He doesn’t mean any harm!” Hagrid yells.
“And how, precisely, would you know that?” Severus asks.
“‘e’s a friend!”
“Hagrid, he is a Acromantula. A man-eating spider,” Flitwick points out.
“Aragog won’t eat anyone!”
Hadrian looks and sees Dense and Ignorant cowering from the spider.
“Hagrid, you must understand that your… friend must be restrained,” Flitwick says hesitantly.
“I promise ‘e won’t ‘urt a soul!”
“Hagrid…” Flitwick starts.
“*Protego!*”
“*Immobulus!*”
“*Incarcerous!*”
Several spells shot from the end of the corridor, soaring above everyone and two of the three hitting the spider, which freezes in place before falling due to its legs being tied. Hagrid turns behind him and starts to cry. He grabs the ropes and starts to pull at them.
“*Incarcerous!*”
Hadrian looks behind him. Madam Bones stands with her wand pointed, along with several other aurors being her. Lucius is there as well, standing in front of Draco. The crowd parts for the group, Draco rejoining the rest of the Slytherins.
“What is the meaning of this?” Madam Bones asks.
“We are not quite sure, why don’t we ask Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley here?” Severus says. Dense and Ignorant looked surprised, as they were trying to blend into the crowd.
“Well, Ms. Granger, Mr. Weasley,” Madam Bones says.
“Now, now, Amelia, why don’t you release Hagrid over there and we take this conversation to my office?” Dumbledore says from behind everyone.
“You will address me as Madam Bones. I will not be releasing Hagrid. However, I am not opposed to taking this conversation up to your office. Jenkins, Dover, take Hagrid to a cell in the Ministry for questioning. I will deal with him later. Owens, Denver, Richard, Griffin, take the spider to the ministry and keep guard, I’ll figure out what to do with it later,” Madam Bones ordered. The aurors followed her instructions. “Let's go you two,” she says towards Dense and Ignorant. “Professors Snape and Flitwick, would you be so kind as to join us?” Severus and Flitwick nodded.
“Now, Amelia-”
“Madam Bones, Headmaster. And know that nothing you say will matter. Now, you will either lead us to your office or I will."
"Of course, this way," Dumbledore replies with a disappointed look on his face. The group follows him to his office. Severus stays behind for a second and says "Everyone, back to your common rooms." The crowd disperses soon after.