Life Before Hogwarts
"Hadrian, you better not be in my lab!" Hadrian giggled to himself as he mixed the colorful liquid. Hadrian had recently decided he could be just like his Auntie Lidia. He even has his hair grown out like hers. Right now, it’s in a low ponytail. Sometimes Aunt Lidia let him be her little assistant, but Hadrian could only fetch supplies. He wanted to make new potions all by himself! Hadrian stirred a few more times before grabbing a vial and spoon. His aunt opened the door to the lab right as he finished spooning in the liquid. He grabbed his potion before running over to show her his new invention.
"Look, Aunt Lidia! I made a potion! It even has sparkles!" Hadrian shoved the potion near his aunt's face with a bright smile.
"Yes, that is beautiful, Hadrian. But you know you are not allowed to be in my lab alone. We have customers currently, but don't think I will forget this," says Aunt Lidia with a small smile. "Now go out there and see if you can help with anything. I'll clean this up for you. Maybe you can show them your potion, huh?" Hadrian smiles at his aunt one last time before heading up the stairs where the shop is. As soon as he reached the top, he peeked around the doorframe. Inside the shop were two people. One is a woman, and one is a little boy. They both had the blondest hair he had ever seen. He walked towards them to see what they were looking at. It appeared like they were looking at some lighting potions.
"Oh, those don't last very long. If you want a nice, long-lasting glowing potion, you need this one," said Hadrian while reaching for a potion. "This one lasts all night. I sometimes use it as a night light." Hadrian hands the woman a blue potion with a slight glow to it.
The boy pipes up, "I don't need a night light! We're just," he pauses, "lighting one of our pathways!" says the boy, turning his pointy nose up at Hadrian. The woman with him places her hand on his shoulder.
"Be polite, Draco. Hello there, sweetie. I am Nacrissa Malfoy, and this is my son Draco Malfoy," states the woman, now known as Mrs. Malfoy. Hadrian kisses her hand before shaking Malfoy's hand.
"Hello! I am Hadrian Powell. I live here with my aunt. Would you like to see a potion I made all on my own? It can't do anything, but it's colorful and sparkles!" Hadrian starts getting excited as he shows them his potion.
"You can make your very own potions? Even Father won't let me get potion supplies!" says Malfoy, staring at Hadrian's vial. The two boys gush over the vial just as Hadrian's Aunt Lidia enters the room. Hadrian looks up as his aunt walks over toward the small group. Hadrian, however, goes back to his conversation with Malfoy when Aunt Lidia starts talking to Mrs. Malfoy. Adult conversations are rarely interesting. Before too long, the two women ushered the boys toward the register. Hadrian and Malfoy talked up until Mrs. Malfoy walked out the door. Then, and only then, did they say goodbye.
Hadrian was sad to see his new friend go. That was when Aunt Lidia piped up, "Hadrian. Mrs. Malfoy and I talked, and with how well you boys get along, we decided it would be a good idea to plan a playdate. Mrs. Malfoy and I have agreed that you and I will apparate to their manor next week. Now while this is exciting, you did sneak into my lab, so until your playdate, you will have no access to the lab or shop." While Hadrian was not happy about his punishment, he was glad he would get to see his friend again.
Hadrian was nervous. What if Malfoy didn't like him anymore? Unfortunately, this made the side-along apparition even worse for him. Luckily, Lidia had to travel a lot for potion ingredients, so Hadrian had gotten used to this method of transportation. When they made it to Malfoy Manor, Hadrian looked around. It was very different from their small apartment above the shop. The manor was giant! It had at least three stories and even had spires! There was a long pathway leading to tall, imposing double doors. Auntie Lidia grabbed his hand before leading him down the path.
When at the doors, Aunt Lidia knocked three times on the door before waiting. A second later, both of the doors opened. When Hadrian glances inside, he sees two house elves on either side wearing little uniforms with an embroidered 'M' stitched on. The two house elves led Hadrian and his aunt into a large room filled with comfy-looking furniture and a fireplace. Once there, Hadrian spotted Malfoy on one of the couches. He rushed over to him. Mrs. Malfoy was sitting next to him with tea. Mrs. Malfoy calmly stated, "Draco, why don't you show Hadrian your room while his aunt and I have tea?" Malfoy leads Hadrian up a grand staircase and down a hallway. They finally stop at a green door.
"This is my room," states Malfoy as he opens the door.
"Wow! Your room is so big, Malfoy!" exclaims Hadrian.
Malfoy proudly leads Hadrian into his room and states, "I know. Father put expansion charms on it so I would have plenty of room for everything the heir to the Malfoy line may need." With that, he shows the other boy his toy box, and they start playing. They play with toy creatures, brooms, and even a miniature Hogwarts castle. They imagined all they would do when they finally were old enough to go. They both agreed that one day they would rule Slytherin together. Every Slytherin family told tales of the legendary kings and queens of Slytherin with their faithful court.
While it seemed like only minutes to the boys, they had been playing for hours. Their guardians came upstairs and made them come downstairs for a quick snack before they could play again. They decided to have biscuits and tea. Both Hadrian and Malfoy ate as fast as they could. This time, they decided to play outside. Malfoy wanted to show Hadrian the peacocks and the quidditch field. As the two boys approached the peacocks, the peacocks showed off their feathers. After the boys excitedly gauk at them, they head towards the quidditch field. They first must grab supplies from the supply shed. Malfoy asks, "Powell, what position do you play?"
"Well, I do like playing Seeker."
"I also love playing Seeker! Why don't we play a Seeker's round?" With that, the two boys grab brooms and the snitch before heading to the middle of the field. They couldn't get too far off the ground because of the safety features in the broom, but they still had a lot of fun. They both looped around the field about three times before Hadrian spotted the snitch and dived for it, Malfoy hot on his tail. As soon as his fist surrounded the snitch, Malfoy shouted, "Rematch!" By the time they got tired, Hadrian had caught the snitch three times, and Malfoy captured it two times. While this did make Malfoy a tad grumpy, they had a lot of fun. As they were both tired, they decided to head inside for a rest. As they walked towards the manor, Malfoy pointed out how the house elves had carved the shrubbery into different animals. His father could even make them move! Hadrian wished he could see that sometime. Malfoy decided that he and Hadrian should go into the manor near his father's office in case he was free.
As they walked past Mr. Malfoy's office, they peeked inside. Mr. Malfoy was sitting at his desk sipping tea. Malfoy ran over to him and convinced him to show them how he made the sculpted shrubbery move. Mr. Malfoy let his son run ahead before bending down to talk to Hadrian. "So you are the common boy he has befriended," he said.
"Yes, sir. My name is Hadrian Powell. Nice to meet you!"
"Hm. You may not hold a title of nobility, but you will suffice as a childhood comfort for the boy. Please follow Draco, and I will demonstrate the magic to you. Perhaps, one day you will be able to cast it yourself." While this confused Hadrian, he grinned at Mr. Malfoy and followed Malfoy's example. Mr. Malfoy's spell was incredible. Both of the boys gaped at the moving shrubs in amazement. At that moment, the two women decide to join them. Mrs. Malfoy leans against her husband with a smile. Hadrian can't help but think it's sweet. His aunt lays her hands on his shoulders and brings him back into a hug.
"We must go, Hadrian. It is getting late, and we still need to eat supper," said Aunt Lidia softly. She kissed his head before ushering him to say goodbye.
"Goodbye, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy. Bye, Malfoy. I can't wait to see you again. We can still send letters, though! Do you promise to send one?"
"I promise! I'll send you a letter about everything that happens. Do you promise the same?"
"I promise!" With that, Aunt Lidia brought a moping Hadrian to the apparition spot.
"Do not worry. You will be back," says Auntie Lidia with a small smile. She has a feeling that something great will come from their friendship. This friendship is newly bloomed but powerful. All she can hope is that the world will not tear them apart.