The Boy Who Disappeared

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
May 2004

"Hey Pop, you think I am ready to start competing?" Hadrian asked Severus after a practice one day.

"Yes, actually I do," Severus told him, catching Hadrian by surprise. He had asked last year, and he had been told no.

"Really?" Hadrian looked up at his Papa.

"Yes Hadrian, let's talk about it with Reg at dinner," Severus told him.

"Alright, Pop sounds like a plan. I am going to go take a shower and get ready for dinner," Hadrian said excitedly and ran to the house.

Severus just smiled and watched his son run off. He knew this was going to make him so happy. Last summer Hadrian had begged them to let him compete, but Severus and Regulus agreed that he wasn't ready yet. Hadrian had been so upset. It had been the first summer that Bella had not come back.

She was going to be coming back this Summer, but Hadrian didn’t know that yet. It was another surprise for him. She was actually going to be spending the entire summer with them. She was making up for not coming to spend time with them last year at all. She would be going back and forth between being with them and being in Forks with Charlie.

Hadrian would be fifteen this summer and starting his Sophomore year at Forks. Severus was actually incredibly proud of how well he had excelled at dueling. Hadrian was small so he made a small target. He was fast at dodging and quick thinking. He could fire off spells quicker than Severus or Sirius could now. He had a magnificent ability to think quickly in the moment. He was ready now to compete and Severus knew the perfect competition to start him with.

Hadrian came down from his shower and was surprised to see his uncles and cousins in the living room.

"Hey, I didn't know you guys were coming for dinner tonight," Hadrian said as he greeted everyone. Sirius grinned and threw an arm around his shoulder.

"Really? We have been planning to come here for dinner for almost two weeks now," Sirius said and then winked at him.

Now Hadrian was confused and a little bit suspicious. Today wasn't anything special. He wasn't forgetting an anniversary or anyone's birthday so what could be going on that they all planned a dinner two weeks ago that Hadrian wasn't told about?

"Weird that you all would plan dinner weeks in advance and not tell me about it," Hadrian said looking at the adults. Everyone was just grinning as they made their way to the dinner table.

"Well, that is because we wanted to tell you three kids all at the same time," Remus said once they were seated and ready to eat.

"Tell us what, Papa," Cassy asked.

"Yeah, tell us what?" Cori repeated.

"We are going on vacation for the entire summer. We leave the day after you get out of school for the summer and we are coming back a few days before school starts," Sirius said excitedly. The twins cheered and Hadrian was excited, but he wanted to ask a few questions.

"Where are we going?" Hadrian asked when the girls quieted back down.

"Multiple places. Because we aren't just going for the fun of it. Though it is a bonus," Severus told him. Which only made him more curious.

"So, if we aren't going on vacation for fun, then why are we going?" Hadrian asked.

"Your Papa and I signed you up for a dueling competition three months ago. It is a competition that takes place over the summer and at all of the prominent magical schools in the different continents," Regulus answered him.

Hadrian took a moment and blinked. They not only agreed to let him compete, but they had set him up in a competition. One that sounded pretty big if it took place over a couple of continents.

"Look at that, Reggie. He is speechless. I don't think that has ever happened," Sirius teased and they all laughed. Hadrian glared at him and turned back to his dads.

"Really, I get to compete?" Hadrian asked again.

"Yeah, son. You get to compete. You have earned it. You have beaten both the mut and myself. We also let you practice against a few different aurors, and you have beaten them as well. You have dedicated two years to learning and developing your skills. We are all very impressed and proud of how far you have come," Severus told him. Hadrian grinned he was so excited this is what he had begged for last year.

"You are a natural at dueling. You take to it like no one I have seen before. You have earned this, and we are going to follow you from country to country and watch you kick ass," Sirius told him.

"This is amazing. Thank you so much. I can't wait to do this. Seriously, thank you," Hadrian told them. He was so excited. All he wanted to do was start packing. "I get to take Toga and Kimi right. We can't leave them here all summer. I need to call Jake and let him know."

"Calm down, Hadrian," Remus said with a laugh. "You still have a month left before school lets out. We have a lot of preparation to do, and we figured telling you early would give you time to practice what you know and learn anything new that you want to know before it is time to start."

"Right, I know, I am just super excited," Hadrian told them.

"One more thing, we registered you as Orion instead of Hadrian," Regulus told him. Hadrian was confused why would they do that?

"I know we don't talk about it often, Hadrian but there is a reason that we left England when we did. We have never gone into detail with you about the reasons why. All you need to know is that it wouldn't be a good thing if anyone from there figured out exactly who you are. So, while in the competition, especially while at Hogwarts you are Orion. This is the safest thing. Everyone here is going to start calling you Orion so that it becomes normal and will keep the slip-ups to a minimum," Severus told him.

"I am going to be fifteen in two months. Don't you think that I’m finally old enough to know the whole story?" Hadrian asked his dads. "I need to be prepared for anything that may happen while we are there. I know that whatever this issue is, it involves that Dumbledore person. He is the headmaster of the school that we are going to be competing at."

Regulus and the others shared looks with each other.

"You are right, Hadrian. We can talk about it tonight if you want. After dinner," Regulus told him. Hadrian nodded in agreement.

He was finally going to know why his parents had moved him to a small town in the middle of nowhere in a country that they knew nothing about. His parents had not moved here voluntarily, he had gathered that from the many half-conversations they had about the subject. They had done it to keep him safe. He was finally going to find out who or what had been such a threat to him when he was just a baby.

"I just got off the phone with Charlie, he is going to swing by and grab the girls. He will take them to the house and watch them while we talk," Regulus informed them.

"Great, we can play a game until he gets here," Remus said and Hadrian went to the game cabinet to pull a quick one out.

So, twenty minutes later when Charlie showed up they were playing a round of Goldfish. Charlie took the girls and headed over to their house. Hadrian put the game away and then settled on the floor between his two Inu, who had grown even more in the last two years. They were as massive as bears almost.

"OK, so what happened that you had to take me and leave the country to keep us all safe?" Hadrian asked after they were all settled. Regulus sighed and leaned back into Severus' arm.

"You know that I gave birth to you and that Severus blood adopted you when you were three. The man I conceived you with was James Potter you know that too. We first started dating in sixth year at Hogwarts and when he asked me to marry him I did. Right out of school Dumbledore came to our home and asked me privately to join the Death Eaters so that I could spy on them. I didn't want to. I told James what Dumbledore wanted me to do, and he basically told me that if Dumbledore was asking that I should do it. I was terrified and didn't want to do it at all," Regulus started the story.

"Reg came to me and told me about it and I begged him not to do it. When I could not talk him out of it I convinced him to let me go with him so that I would have his back. I hated James Potter. Regulus and I had been best friends from his first year and James hated it. I don't like to speak ill of the dead, but he didn't like Reg being around me and made him feel like crap about it every time he was around me," Severus continued.

"I used to help cover for Reggie when he would hang out with Severus. I never understood why James was so upset about it," Remus told Hadrian. Hadrian had heard about all of the fun times that Sirius and Remus had with James and Peter in school. He also didn't like what he was hearing now. James didn't sound like he had been very good to his dad.

"Ok, so Dumbledor asked you to spy and you didn't want to. So then why did you?" Hadrian asked carefully. Regulus looked embarrassed.

"I thought I was in love with James. I wasn't. I wanted to be around my big brother. I would have followed Sirius into the dark lord's ranks willingly. Sirius became fast friends with James and thought he was a great friend. And don’t get me wrong, he was a good friend to Sirius and Remus. So, I thought he was great as well. Now I am not blaming Sirius for me ending up with James, I am simply stating the reason why I started seeing him the way that I did. I thought the sun rose because James Potter did. James wanted us to keep our relationship a secret and so I agreed," Regulus took the story back up again.

"I never understood that," Sirius said finally adding to the conversation. "I asked James so many times why he insisted on keeping his relationship with my brother a secret. I tried to talk to him so many times about it. All he would say was that he didn't want Regulus to get shit for dating a Gryffindor. I never stopped asking either. Because even after we graduated he wanted to keep it a secret."

"When we got married, only Sirius and Remus were present besides a muggle priest that no one in the magical community would know about. His excuse that time was because we were in the middle of a war and it could be used against us if anyone found out that we were married," Regulus told Hadrian.

Hadrian hated how embarrassed his dad looked. He was just a teenager. Only a year older than Hadrian when he thought he was in love with a man who was clearly embarrassed by him and didn't love him the way that he should.

"Then we found out that Reggie was pregnant. We all wanted him to stop spying. It wasn't safe before and it was even worse now," Remus said. Then he smiled. "I noticed first. I could smell it on him. I was quite happy to throw hints around all over the place. Regulus caught on first and then we had fun together trying to figure out how long it would take James and Sirius to notice."

"I noticed first. I was quite proud of myself, it didn't take long after Regulus started getting overly sensitive to smells and tastes," Sirius stated.

"I noticed before Regulus did as well," Severus spoke up. Hadrian smiled at his Pop. "Reg was my best friend, I noticed instantly when things started to change with him. I had been half in love with him since I was twelve. I noticed things."

"Yes, he did. He still does. Anyway, that was the second time that I went to James and told him that I didn't want to spy anymore. I was afraid for our baby. I loved you and wanted you from the moment that I found out I was carrying you. James went straight to Dumbledore. The headmaster told him that it was imperative that I kept spying. So, James refused to let me quit. I was devastated I didn't understand why he would truly want me to risk our baby just because Dumbledore asked him to. That was when I started to feel differently about James," Regulus continued.

"Then Sirius and Regulus came to me. I told them that I would make sure that Regulus was never alone and even created the potion and spell combination that would keep his pregnancy a secret from all of the Death Eaters and the rest of the world. I would never allow any harm to come to Regulus or his sweet baby," Severus told Hadrian.

"Then you were born and when you were a month old something happened that made it possible for me to hurt the Dark Lord. He borrowed Kreacher to do a mission for him and when it was done, I asked Kreacher to show me what it was. We found the first Horcrux. I drank the poison that contained it and sent Kreacher away with the locket to destroy it. I was almost dead and being attacked by inferi. I thought I was a goner," Regulus said with sadness. Hadrian was so proud of his father. He had risked his life and was prepared to die to give the light an advantage in the fight against a madman.

"Kreacher came to me instead. He took me straight to Reg and I saved him. He was unconscious and showing no signs of waking. I spent an entire twenty-four hours forcing potions into him and using every healing spell that I knew to save his life and finally, he was stable. I felt secure enough to leave him with Kreacher while I went to let James, and the others know what had happened. But when I got there. Everything was wrong. James, Sirius, and Remus were playing in the yard and having a great time as if Reg wasn't missing at all. And a woman, Lily Evans, a gold-digging bitch. Was sitting on the porch watching and cradling you in her arms as if she had any right to you," Severus spat out.

Remus stepped in at that point and told him about what had happened on their side. How Dumbledore had come to the house with Lily, and they were potioned and spelled with compulsions. How Dumbledor told James that Regulus was a traitor and had truly followed Voldemort.

They told how James believed the headmaster without any proof and was easily convinced to allow Dumbledore to let the world believe that Lily was his secret wife and Hadrian's mother. They explained the false prophecy. James and Lily died, and Sirius goes to prison. Hadrian was appalled at everything that Dumbledore had gone through to manipulate things.

He had convinced the world that Harry Potter was the Boy Who Lived and the only hope that the wizarding world had of surviving Voldemort when he returned. They told him how obsessed the man was with him and that he had clearly not given up on the whole thing since the Longbottom boy had been killed in a 'trial' that the old man had set up.

"So you see why it is important that when we go, if anyone asks. You are Orion Black-Prince son of Regulus and Severus. Hadrian is too close to Harry and it would be all to easy to connect the dots. You were conceived before we fled England and born on American soil. MACUSA has given us records that back it up if we need it for any reason," Severus told Hadrian when they were finally through telling him the whole true story. Hadrian stood up and sat down between Regulus and Severus.

"I love you both so much. I am glad that you are my parents, and I am glad that all of you loved me enough to put me first. I won't let you down. In fact, I will keep the name Orion anytime I duel. People use stage names all the time. You know, just in case I become famous as the youngest Dueling champion of all time this summer," Hadrian told them.

"We love you too, Hadrian. We will always put you first," Regulus promised.

"Also, you could never let us down," Severus told him. Then he pulled out a small journal-looking book and handed it to Hadrian.

"What is this?" Hadrian asked. He opened it and flipped through it. "I don't know any of these spells."

"No one does. I created them. Remember I am a master duelist. These are spells that I created for dueling purposes. These are all acceptable in a competition. No one else will know them. I want you to have this so that you can try to learn a few before the competitions start."

"Thanks, Pops. I will learn them and use them to decimate my opponents. This is going to be amazing. Thank you for everything. For letting me compete and for finally trusting that I am old enough to know the whole story," Hadrian told them both.

"All right, it is pretty late now. We are going to head home so that Charlie can head home. We will see you three later," Remus stated as they stood up and Hadrian hugged them both. He let them know how much he loved and appreciated them.

"I think I should head to bed too. I have a lot of homework to do tomorrow before school starts back on Monday," Hadrian told his dads.

They each kissed him on the head and hugged him tightly. He felt good now that he knew everything. He had a month to practice some of the new spells and to pack and prepare for the competition this summer. It was going to be epic.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
June 2004

A month later Hadrian was ready to go.

He had learned more spells from his dad's book than he thought he would. He had spent a lot of time with Jacob and made sure that he agreed to look after Charlie while they were gone. Hadrian didn't want Charlie to get bored or feel abandoned. As far as Harry was aware, Bella didn't have plans to come again this summer, and she hadn't given an excuse as far as Hadrian and Jake knew.

He was up and ready to go far too early so he was in the shed behind the house. It had magical expansion spells on it so that when you were inside it was a full-sized dueling room. He was practicing before they left because he didn't know how many opportunities he would get to do that after all of this started.

They would be starting at Hogwarts. The first competition was tomorrow. They were going today so that they could get set up and registered. They were being given rooms at Hogwarts. It was a huge competition, and England was just the first stop.

Each duel would be scored on points. Competitors would earn points for creativity, skill, and hits. Then winners would receive one hundred points on top of any other points they scored during the duel. Losers wouldn't gain anything extra outside of the points they earn during the duel. When it was all said and done they would move on to the next country where the next duels would take place.

They would have a week and a half reprieve and then they would go to Russia to Koldovstoretz Academy of Magic. After this set of duels was complete they would tally the points together and anyone under a certain score would be eliminated and the others would have a week and a half before the next set started in Bulgaria at Durmstrang Institute. A week and a half later they would be at Uagadou School of Magic in Africa where their total scores would be tallied again, and another elimination would take place.

Ilvermorny was their next stop in America. Then a week and a half later they would be in Brazil at Castelobruxo School of Magic where there would be another elimination. Then they would change things up a bit.

The next set of duels would take place at Mahoutokoro School of Magic in Japan where they would eliminate duelists again. Then only a week later the final duels would take place in France at Beauxbatons.

Hadrian planned to make it all the way through. They were going to sight-see and enjoy the summer when they had the week and a half break between competitions.

"Orion, there you are," Regulus said as he opened the door. Hadrian stopped and turned around grinning. "We were looking all over for you. It is time to go."

"Great, let's get going then. I am so stoked, Dad this is going to be great." Hadrian followed Regulus into the house where the others were waiting.

They gathered around and all grasped the international portkey. It would be used for the entire summer MACUSA had set it up for them to take them anywhere as many times as they needed until the competition was over.

"Toga, Kimi, bite the scarf," Hadrian told his Inu.

They would need to be touching the portkey as well in order to be transported with them. They had all of their luggage shrunk and in pockets Kreacher would be coming with them as well. So, he was also grasping the portkey though he wasn't very happy about it. They would be porting straight to the front gate of Hogwarts in an area that was designated for portkeys during the competition.

"Ok, is everyone ready?" Severus asked and then waited until everyone sounded off. "Portus." Then that familiar sensation was pulling at his navel, and he was holding his breath to keep from hurling.

Finally, they landed, and Hadrian only stayed on his feet because of Toga and Kimi pressing into him on either side.

"Hello, Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I am... Oh my," The woman stopped mid-sentence and stared at them all. Sirius laughed.

"Hello, Minnie. Did you miss us?" He stated with a cheeky grin. The woman smiled and then groaned.

"Which of you troublemakers has decided to enter the competition?" She asked fondly.

"Not us," Remus stated with a grin and pointed to Orion. "Our nephew, Orion. He is Regulus and Severus' boy." Hadrian was standing proudly in front of his parents with his Inu on either side of him sitting nicely with tails wagging.

"Oh, he is a lovely boy. I always knew that the two of you would end up together. Good for you. I am so happy to see you all. And who do these two beauties belong to?" Minerva asked. The twins smiled and Sirius and Remus each placed a hand on one of their shoulders.

"These are our girls, Minnie. This is Cassy and Cori," Remus answered. Hadrian liked her, she seemed really nice.

"Goodness me, it is hard to see you boys all grown up with children of your own. Those dogs are quite impressive as well," Minnie said and then turned back to Hadrian. She searched his face and seemed be looking for something, but Hadrian just smiled at her.

"They aren't dogs, Madame. They are Inu. Guardians. I have had them since they were this big," Hadrian held up his hands to show how small they were when Hadrian had first gotten them.

"That is lovely. Well, if you come with me, I will show you to the registration area, they will assign you rooms and give you a schedule. Good luck Orion I will be watching. Your fathers are both very impressive men. I am sure that you will be as well," Minerva said as she led them to the entrance of a large castle.

Then she directed them to the Great Hall where registration was taking place. They registered Hadrian quickly and were handed a packet with passes, rules, and a dueling schedule. They were given rooms in the dungeon which made Severus and Regulus happy and made Remus and Sirius groan.

There were so many people around. Hadrian was surprised; he wondered how many of them would be competing. He was so excited for tomorrow.

"Is that Severus and Regulus I see? I thought you were both dead," Came a cool posh voice.

Hadrian and the others all turned to see a tall man with long blonde hair. He was wearing very nice robes and had a cane with a snake head in his hand. He looked at them all like they were vermin. Hadrian did not like him.

He didn't think he was going to like his son either. The boy was much taller than Hadrian and had the same stuck-up look and blond hair. The only difference was that he had a sneer on his face where his father's face was blank.

"Hello, Lucius. It is good to see you again. Clearly, we aren't dead, but I can see that you were concerned. This must be Draco. He has grown so much. He is a handsome young man now," Regulus said as if he wasn't being looked at like he was filthy. Hadrian loved his dad.

"Yes, this is Draco. He is here to compete. I know Severus was quite the duelist back in the day. I wager you are here to see if you still have it," Lucius said. Severus smirked.

"I don't need a competition to know how good I am. I am quite secure in my abilities. I am here to support my son. This is Orion Black-Prince," Severus said with so much pride. Hadrian stepped forward and held out his hand to Draco. No reason they should have conflict because their parents did.

"Orion, nice to meet you. I am so excited about competing. My father and Uncle Siri have been training me for two years. This is my first competition. What about you?" Hadrian introduced himself.

He was polite and friendly and could tell that the boy had not been expecting it. He heard some chuckles from behind him and rolled his eyes. He knew it was Siri. The boy, Draco, sneered and looked like he was ready to snark at Hadrian.

"Don't mind Uncle Siri, sometimes I think he has the brain capacity of a five-year-old,” Harry faux whispered. The boy stopped and looked back at Hadrian.

"Draco, this is my first competition too. I plan to win. Are you really Regulus' son? Like biologically?" Draco asked after shaking Hadrian's hand. Hadrian nodded. "Well, then I guess that makes us cousins doesn't it? My mum, Narcissa was a Black, she is Regulus and Sirius' cousin. So that makes us cousins." Hadrian looked back at his dad. Was he right? Were they family? Regulus nodded. Hadrian turned back to Draco with a smile.

"Yeah, Regulus is my bearer, Severus is my sire. So, I guess we are cousins. That is so cool. We should definitely hang out and get to know each other. This competition just got way better," Hadrian exclaimed. "Are you two staying in the dungeons as well?"

"Yeah," Draco said. "I used to go to school here. But Father pulled me out last year because the headmaster is barmy. I go to Beauxbatons now. Where do you go to school?"

"Oh, I don't. I am homeschooled. But I am making O's and EE's in all of my courses," Hadrian explained.

"Well, looks like we are going to be spending time around each other. Might as well get along. They look like they are going to be fast friends," Regulus told Lucius who just rolled his eyes.

"Looks like it. Why do you have such massive dogs with you?" Lucius asked and Hadrian turned then and looked up at the man.

"They aren't dogs. They are Koma-Inu or Lion Dogs. They are my guardians. I have had them since they were tiny pups," Hadrian corrected him.

"That is so cool. I read about those," Draco said. "Can I pet them?" Hadrian nodded and Draco stepped forward cautiously and let the Inu smell him before petting them. "What are their names?"

"This big guy is Toga, and this lovely lady is Kimi," Hadrian told them.

"All right guys. Let's get settled in and then we can meet up for dinner in the Great Hall," Sirius announced.

They all agreed and then they headed to their assigned rooms. They were neighbors. Hadrian and Draco high-fived in the hall when they realized they were just across the hall from each other. Regulus, Severus, and Hadrian would share a room, and Sirius, Remus, and the twins had the one next to them.

Once they were all settled in they took time to freshen up and then met up in the common room with Lucius and Draco before heading down to the Great Hall. Hadrian could tell from the passes around each person's neck who was a dueler and who was a guest. There were people of all ages, sizes, and nationalities in the competition. Hadrian saw a whole group of redheads at one of the tables and pointed them out. Draco and Lucius both sneered.

"Those are the Weasleys. What are they doing here?" Draco sneered.

Hadrian remembered that name. Hermione had told him about a set of twins that were troublemakers. He saw them grinning like loons and irritating others at their table. Hadrian wanted to meet them. According to Hermione, they were cool.

"It looks like their oldest boy Bill is competing," Remus stated. They had known the Weasleys back in the day. They had fought together in the war.

"I want to meet the twins. Hermione said they were big pranksters I bet you would love them Uncle Siri," Hadrian said. Sirius looked instantly interested.

"Well, then I guess we will go say hi after we eat," Sirius stated. Hadrian and Sirius finished quickly and then stood up and made their way to the table of redheads. Toga and Kimi are right behind them.

"Hello," Hadrian said looking right at the twins. "You are Fred and George right?" Hadrian took a seat right in between them. Sirius was sitting down between what Hadrian assumed were their parents.

"We are," One of them started.

"Who are you?" The other finished. Oh, Hadrian loved that. He grinned at them.

"I am Orion, I met a girl named Hermione who told me about you. Says you two are pranksters. I had to meet you. I am a second-generation prankster myself," Hadrian introduced himself.

"Oh, Yeah?" The first twin asked.

"What makes you second generation?" The second one asked.

"I was raised by The Marauders," Hadrian whispered to them. They looked stunned. Then they grinned. Oh yes, Hadrian was going to like them.

"The Marauders, Huh?" They said together. Hadrian nodded.

"In fact, two of them are in this room right now," Hadrian told them quietly. "Padfoot," Hadrian nodded toward Sirius. "And Mooney," Hadrian indicated the table he had just come from. The twins looked ready to burst.

"You are," Twin one stated.

"Kidding." Twin two finished.

Hadrian was watching them closely. They were almost identical. They were different in the way they moved their mouths and the looks in their eyes. As soon as he had their names he would be able to tell them apart.

"So which of you is Fred and which is George?" Hadrian asked them and watched. The one to his right got a devious look in his eye. He was about to be tested.

"Well, that is Fred," he said.

"And he is George," The one on his left followed. Hadrian looked at them hard and grinned.

"Nope," Hadrian said and popped his 'p'. "You are Fred," Hadrian pointed to his left. "and you are George." Hadrian pointed to the twin on his right. They both grinned at him and shrugged.

"We will neither confirm," said Fred.

"Or Deny," Said George. Hadrian just shrugged. He knew he was right. He would just have to watch them.

"Are you competing?" The man sitting across from him asked. He was tall with long red hair pulled back in a ponytail. He also had a dragon tooth in one of his ears and looked like he might be nice but also meant business.

"Yep, I am Orion. I will be competing. And you are?" Hadrian asked and stuck out his hand. The man took it and shook it.

"William Weasley, but I go by Bill. It is nice to meet you. How old are you?" Bill asked. Hadrian smiled he knew he was small. Almost every one of the Weasleys was like giant tall compared to him. He felt extremely small sitting next to them all.

"I am fourteen. I will be fifteen this summer. I am just small," Hadrian told him. Bill nodded.

"I thought you were much younger. I was trying to figure out why your parents would let you compete so young. How long have you been training?" Bill asked.

"Two years. My father is a master duelist, as is my Uncle Siri they have been training me. I finally beat them both a few months ago. My dad is still a bit worried, but he is really supportive," Hadrian informed them.

"That is good. Well, I hope to see you out there and that we both make it to the top. Good luck," Bill said. Hadrian smiled.

"Good luck to you as well. I am so excited," Hadrian answered.

"Orion, your dad is giving me a look. We better get back. I think he wants you well rested for tomorrow," Sirius stood and grinned. Then he winked at Fred and George who looked ready to pass out. "See you tricksters around."

Hadrian stood up and said his goodbyes and followed Sirius back to their table. They soon headed back to their assigned rooms and turned in for the night. Hadrian stayed up for a bit longer going over strategies with Severus before turning in himself. He had a hard time falling asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning after breakfast Hadrian and Severus were standing together near the transformed quidditch pitch, all of the other competitors were standing around them. Draco and Lucius were right next to them as they listened to how the day would go.

There were three sets of judges, and the pitch had been split in three equal parts and warded to keep everyone safe from stray spells. Three sets of duelists would go at the same time. They were not being separated by age or talent it was a completely random draw. The rest of the watchers were sitting in the stands.

They would duel and be awarded points. A winner would be determined if their opponent was one of three things unconscious, forced out of the dueling ring, or if they gave up. Hadrian looked for his name on the board and saw that he would be dueling an older man from Japan. His fight would be the twenty-second duel in the third area. Draco would be up against a girl about their age from Brazil. Bill was against an older man from England.

They walked around and watched the other's duel. Severus told Hadrian it was important to watch how someone dueled. It would help him when it was his turn to face them.

Bill's fight was the first of the three. It took about ten minutes, but Bill was the winner. His points were up to One hundred and forty-three when he was finished. Hadrian was the next one of them to go. He was so nervous, but he pushed through it. He looked at Severus and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and placed himself in that state of hyper-awareness that he used when he dueled.

He looked around and made note of everything in his ring and nothing outside of it existed. He noted the judges adjusting their papers and dismissed them. His opponent needed his full attention.

He watched him and made note of the way he breathed and the small bead of sweat on the side of his face. He saw his loose grip on his wand and the way he adjusted his weight. Then Hadrian saw what he was looking for.

The man's jaw clenched, and he tightened his grip on his wand. The first spell flew his way and Hadrian easily deflected it. It was like the world was moving in slow motion around him. Severus told him it was why he was so fast.

Hadrian waited a moment before sending a spell of his own. He started small. He wanted to work his way up to the more powerful spells. The two of them danced around each other and Hadrian was loving every moment of it.

Finally, he saw his opening.

He sent one spell and then used his momentum to spin and sent a second spell right on its tail end but curved so that while his opponent was deflecting the first spell he didn't know the second one had him until it slammed into him and knocked him out of the ring. Hadrian blinked and took a deep breath pulling himself back out of that state of mind.

Hadrian realized that he had just won his first official duel. He stood there and waited with his Papa as the judges calculated up his score. When they were done he was awarded one hundred and sixty-seven points. Hadrian was so excited.

"That was amazing. You have one hell of a core to have lasted that long throwing those kinds of spells. Great job kid," Hadrian looked up as Bill congratulated him with a look of appreciation on his face.

"How long was my duel?" Hadrian asked curiously. Bill and Severus both chuckled. Draco rolled his eyes.

"It lasted forty-five minutes, you missed my duel completely. Mine was over in ten. That girl was a joke I don't know why she was here," Draco informed him. Hadrian frowned.

"I missed yours? Dang I really wanted to watch you. How many points did you score?" Hadrian asked. Draco smiled.

"Well, not as many as yours. It was over too fast to build up my points. I scored one hundred and twelve. Next time I will have to drag it out I guess," Draco stated.

They continued to walk around and watch. This was exciting. There was a break for lunch and then the duels continued. They finished up right before dark and asked that everyone remain in the castle and come to the great hall in the morning before breakfast to be told what was going to happen next.

Hadrian was so happy and knew that this summer was going to be the best one yet. One stop down. Eight more to go.