Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Doubt
Hadrian looked up from his book as Gianna put a single finger on the spine.
"It's seven thirty." She told him. Hadrian looked around her to see the room had indeed filled with people. Most of the first years stood awkwardly, like they were afraid to touch anything; some of them walked around and touched things, running their fingers along the textures and seemingly mapping the room out that way.
"Alright, let's go greet the babies." Hadrian stood with a grin, closing his book with emphasis that made heads nearby turn towards him.
"Firsties!" Gianna called, making the rest of the heads turn. "This is your first full day here, and tomorrow the testing starts. Do you all have your schedules?"
Hadrian saw several of them hold up papers with hesitant nods, and some of the others anxiously shook their heads.
"I left mine on my dresser." One said, raising her hand awkwardly.
"That's okay." Hadrian assured her. "Heiress Belmont asked because those schedules map out when you'll be taking your tests, starting tomorrow."
"Here at Beauxbaton we do a week of testing at the beginning of every year to assess the level we're at. If you're above the level of your age group, you'll be moved up so you're in an environment that you can thrive in while still being challenged by the content."
"At the beginning of every new month there'll also be one test day for each class to make sure you're learning, but also checks to see if you need to be moved up, or leveled down."
"There's no shame in moving down." Gianna said clearly. "It just means you'll be switched to a class more fit for where you're at."
"Anyway, the point of this meeting is to introduce you to all the leaders of our House." Hadrian said with a smile as the Prefects stepped forward. "These are the six Ombrelune Prefects. There's two in each year, fifth and up, so they'll answer any and all questions you may have."
"I'm Heir Tolleson, I'm a sixth year Prefect." Henry said, waving at the first years with a smile.
"I'm the other six year Prefect, Heir Williams." They grinned at the younger kids. "My pronouns are they/them, so respect them or face my wrath."
"I'm Lady Belmont." Belmont moved on quickly from the threat that had several first years paling. "I'm a seventh year Prefect, and Gianna is my younger sister." She grinned at Gianna, who stuck her tongue out childishly.
"I'm Heir Coyle, and I'm the last of the Prefects." He waved. "Lady Belmont and I are the oldest, so if you have questions about graduation or anything like that, we're stereotypically more likely to know the answer. I say stereotypically because some of our Housemates are highly likely to graduate a year or even two years early." Coyle eyed Hadrian pointedly, and he just grinned innocently.
"Anyway, welcome to Ombrelune, and I hope this first year will be a great introduction to the school." Gianna said with a smile.
"And for some of you, an introduction to the Wizarding World." Hadrian added. "Now, let's get down to breakfast, shall we?"
— — — — —
"What could I possibly learn in Etiquette that I haven't already learned?" Hadrian rolled his eyes at Jaecen's whining tone.
"Dunno, but you'll clearly find out soon enough." Hadrian said as he grinned.
"You didn't have any Etiquette lessons last year, d'you think you'll be knocked down a level?"
"Hm, no." Hadrian shook his head. "I tested into Year 6 last year, but I didn't really get to learn anything since I was at Hogwarts and they don't teach Etiquette. I'll either stay in Year 6 or study so hard I make it to Year 7."
"That's true." Jaecen admitted. "So definitely Year 7, then?" Hadrian smiled slightly at Jaecen's teasing smirk.
"I'm aiming for Year 7, yeah, but honestly I don't know." Hadrian shrugged. Amelie giggled as she skipped up to them.
"This should be marked down as a minor miracle!" She declared, "Lord Hadrian Black doesn't know something!"
"I don't know lots of things." Hadrian grinned, "Including where Bensoir is. Have you seen him?"
"Why, you liiike him?" Hadrian rolled his eyes at Amelie and shoved her teasing hand off his shoulder as she laughed.
"Seriously though, he was supposed to meet us before breakfast started." Hadrian said, "Have you seen Fleur? They're in the same House…"
"What's up?" Hadrian turned as Trill appeared with a grin, and nodded to him.
"Oh, there you are." Hadrian grinned, "So what's on all of your schedules for tomorrow? I want to see if anyone needs study help today." He pulled out his schedule, his friends copying him, and pointed at his own. "I've got Etiquette, and then Care."
"I've got Herbology first, and then Care with Hadrian, and then Drama." Jaecen said.
"I'm with Samîel for Drama, but I have Transfiguration first." Trill piped up.
"I've just got Astronomy." Amelie said with a triumphant grin. "I'm the coolest because I only have one!"
"Or the lamest." Jaecen said with a raised eyebrow, and she smacked his arm playfully. "Okay okay! You're cool."
"Damn straight." She nodded approvingly. "Anyway, I'm not testing until midnight, and it's labeled as Tuesday regardless."
"So it's not even tomorrow." Trill raised an eyebrow.
"No, it is." Amelie disagreed. "Since I'm not sleeping it's still the same day."
"I'd agree with her, actually." Hadrian cut in. "Jaecen and mine's Astronomy test is at one in the morning on Wednesday, but I'd count it as a Tuesday test."
"You're so weird." Trill rolled his eyes.
"And you love it." Hadrian winked, making the boy choke and turn red. "Anyway, my Etiquette tomorrow is two hours after breakfast and Care is directly after lunch. I'd have time to study with you guys–"
Before he could finish, or continue the conversation at all, the doors opened to the Dining Hall and they all made their way inside with the rest of the neat lines heading to their tables. They waved to Trill as he departed.
"What're you going to do the whole day?" Amelie whispered as she found a place to stand. "I'm down for studying with you."
"Let's do it." Hadrian grinned. "I'm gonna look into Etiquette first."
"On second thought, maybe I'll go to the lake." Amelie made a face. "I have my Mastery in that. Knock yourself out and go without me."
"I definitely will." Hadrian whispered back. "I wanted to see if the library got any new additions while I was gone anyway."
"Why do you even bother asking?" Jaecen laughed quietly as Amelie sighed.
Madame Maxime strolled in to take her seat, and the students all sat down as well. The Nymphs started their lilting tune, a sort of harsh song that reminded Hadrian of trees that fell too hard and ripped out trees nearby as collateral, and the meal began.
— — — — —
Hadrian happily tucked himself away between the shelves with three books on Etiquette. One of them he'd read already, but that was okay. Reviewing prior knowledge was essential for new learning. If you lost the basic concepts the complex content and lessons would be much more and unnecessarily difficult.
A greeting can be as simple as "Well met" or as complicated as an ornate "Meeting you is welcome and pleasant, *title*, my name is [...]"
Depending on who you're speaking to, and how much you respect them, greetings can mean many different things. It can be a useless formality when meeting peers at school, or it can be an essential part of high society when using etiquette in daily life. Most jobs require moderate levels of etiquette knowledge and execution, while higher ones require a better and more thorough understanding of the most rigorous of the etiquette rules.
Suddenly, someone was sitting beside him on the floor and a head of silver blond hair was splayed across his lap. Gabrielle's face was hidden in his shirt as she curled into him to press her face into his stomach, and her shoulder dipped into where his legs were crossed.
Hadrian, who luckily was holding his book and hadn't placed it in his lap, set the book aside gently and smiled.
“What’s this for?” He asked, running a hand through her pale hair. It was well brushed, so his fingers slid through it like fine silk.
“I’ll never pass Charms.” Her voice was muffled against his shirt, and Hadrian laughed.
“Now that’s not true, I bet you’ll do amazing.” Gabrielle sat up so abruptly that Hadrian actually startled. Her eyes were wet, and she was frowning deeply. “Tell me why you’re really upset?” He cupped her cheek, and she leaned into it. Her cheek pressed into his palm, squishing adorably and making Hadrian smile fondly.
“It’s Fleur’s best subject.” Gabrielle whispered, eyes squeezed shut. "She was a prodigy, mastering things immediately and moving rapidly up the levels. Her signature Bubble-Headed Charm was perfected in her third year, and I'm a year behind. I barely made any progress last year, so I'm definitely not moving up. The teachers last year looked at me with such disappointment, and I can't take it! My Charm exam is Wednesday and I just know I'm going to fail." She sniffed, and stubborn tears fell to pool in Hadrian's hand. "I'll never be as good as Fleur." As her following silence rang, Hadrian removed his hand and pulled her into a hug. She climbed into his lap and wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his shoulder as she started crying in earnest. He gently stroked her hair.
"Nobody expects you to be Fleur. She's your older sister, and she'll always be your older sister. She's not you." Hadrian murmured, smiling. "You forget, Fleur was never any good at Herbology. She hated the mess it made and, though she didn't mind dirt, the thought of working in it on purpose was revolting to her. Do you know where I'm going with this?" Gabrielle shook her head, her nose bumping against his chest. "As a first year, you tested into Year 4 Herbology. Fleur is a seventh year, and she's still in Herbology Year 6. Now, she's going to work really hard and move up so she can get her Mastery, because she's like that. I bet if you do the same, work really hard at Charms, you'll do well too. Even if you do stay in Year 1, as long as you're doing your best, it'll be just fine. Okay?" She pulled back and nodded, wiping her nose and sniffing loudly.
"Sorry for crying on you." Gabrielle croaked, furiously wiping her eyes. Hadrian laughed softly, brushing his hand over his silk jacket and mentally ordering Scourgify. His light blue over layer was suddenly spotless and dry, making Gabrielle blink.
"Good as new." He announced brightly. She started giggling, and then doubled over as she started laughing fully and loudly. "I like to think I'm funny, but not that funny." It only made Gabrielle laugh harder, wiping her eyes as her tears started collecting again, for a better reason.
"You're so stupid." She gasped, giggling.
"Why thank you." Hadrian grinned as she got her laughing under control, beaming at him.
"You really think I can do it?"
"Of course." He said immediately. "But remember, your best is always good enough. Okay?" She nodded rapidly and smiled softly.
"Thanks, Hadrian." Gabrielle went in for another hug, and he happily obliged.
"What're friends for?"
— — — — —
Jaecen's books were slammed down on Hadrian's table, and he blinked heavily.
"Kill me now." The boy groaned, pulling out a chair to slam his head down on the table as he sat. "I'm doomed."
"That's not true." Hadrian said without looking up from his papers. "Here you are, studying, trying your best, which means it'll be fine."
"Easy for you to say, you're not going to fail Potions."
"I've already got my Mastery, which means I have the superior knowledge to tell you that you'll be completely fine as long as you read these textbooks." Hadrian reached over to tap the books Jaecen had brought, but his eyes still skimmed his own Astronomy text. "They're seventh year textbooks, so anything you can learn at all will prepare you for the tests."
"But they're massive." Jaecen complained as he opened the top hook. "The Table of Contents says there's ninety chapters!"
"Which book are you reading?"
"Potions 7 Volume 14."
"Ah. That's because there's a chapter for each ingredient that was discovered in the year of 1964." Hadrian replied flippantly. "That should account for at least thirty chapters."
"And the rest?"
"Specific instructions for various potions, but also a summary of basic potion science explaining why the temperature and high of the flames changes the consistency and the cut and preservation type of the ingredients varies from recipe to recipe." Hadrian looked up after there was a solid five seconds of silence. "... What?"
"You've memorized some random textbook?" Jaecen's eyes were huge, and it made Hadrian frown.
"Yes? What did you think I was doing when I was up here in the library all these years?"
"Reading more interesting things than Potions dictionaries!"
"They're textbook volumes, and they are interesting." Jaecen gave him a look so far beyond bizarre Hadrian had to resist bursting into laughter.
"You're mental." Jaecen sighed, but he dutifully picked a chapter and began to read, to Hadrian took it as a win.
"Don't forget we're studying Astronomy after dinner." Hadrian reminded him as he went back to his own book.
"Oh come on!"
— — — — —
"Are you looking forward to your Transfiguration exam?" Hadrian asked Trill as they walked to lunch.
"I think so, I'm ready for it, but I'm more excited for Drama."
"You have that with Jaecen, right?" Trill nodded at Hadrian's words.
"Right. And you have Care of Magical Creatures test with him right before that." He confirmed.
"Yeah, I'm actually sort of worried about that class." Hadrian sighed. "The Hogwarts Care of Magical Creatures Professor was a little… lackluster."
"He was a bad teacher?" Trill tilted his head.
"Sort of. I'm almost completely sure the creatures we studied for the first half of the year were illegally bred at Hogwarts." Hadrian sighed. "Besides that he was just really inconsistent. One day we're learning about Nifflers, the next he's locked himself in his hut and we have a substitute teacher."
"Seriously?" Trill exclaimed, "Why did he lock himself up?"
"I think he was hiding." Hadrian hummed. "There was a news article about him being part giant, or something. He was probably ashamed."
"Ah, yeah, I can see that." Trill huffed. "So you're worried you might slide backwards?" Hadrian nodded.
"The textbooks don't have any specific Years attached because the Professors pick their curriculum themselves, so there's not much chance I'll pick the right books." He frowned, "I'm hoping I'll be able to stay at Year 6 at the very least."
"Even if you went down you'd just be at your proper level. Year 5 for a fifth year."
"Yeah but it'd be my only one." Hadrian said, still frowning.
"You'll do fine." Trill rolled his eyes. "Don't worry so much, it doesn't suit you."
"Oh?" Hadrian raised an eyebrow. "And what does?" Trill flushed at the expression on Hadrian's face, which made Hadrian laugh.
"That." Trill said pointedly, looking away with a red-faced glare. "Sometimes it's weird seeing you not just flirting with everyone you lay eyes on."
"I have other moods besides flirtatious." Hadrian snickered, making Trill bump their shoulder together with a grin. "Anyway, my little trio is heading to the library after dinner to get some studying in for Amelie's Astronomy test before curfew. You in?"
"I have my Astronomy Mastery already." Trill blinked, coming to a stop as they reached the rest of the students waiting outside Dining Hall doors.
"I know, but you can study for a different subject." Hadrian shrugged. "You've been hanging with our group more than you used to, so us only fair we invite you to our little get togethers." He looked up at Trill, who was a few inches taller, and grinned. "Besides, I like having you around. You're really cool."
Trill flushed as red as his hair, and covered his mouth with a stubborn glare as he cleared his throat. Hadrian tilted his head at the reaction, wondering exactly why it had happened. Hadrian wasn't standing too close was he?
"I'm glad you think so." Trill said, smiling finally. "Sure, I'll be there."
"Great!" Hadrian grinned, making Trill huff.
"Hiya boys." Amelie came up behind them both and slung an arm around each of their shoulders, which would've been impressive due to her short height if she hadn't yanked them both down towards her.
"Lovely, now I can't breathe." Hadrian complained, bent over sideways at the funny angle. Trill looked horribly uncomfortable, red in the face from where Amelie had yanked him down to be almost nose to nose with Hadrian, and so Hadrian gently removed Amelie's arm around him to step back. "Did our friendship get boring enough for you to resort to strangulation?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Nope!" Amelie smirked at Trill before releasing him, and the boy crossed his arms as he straightened. "Just keeping things interesting." Her eyes darted between him and Trill, and Hadrian rolled his eyes at her thin and slightly mischievous smile.
"Bensoir said he's down for the study session." Hadrian said, waving to Jaecen as he also approached.
"Oh good." Amelie swooned. "You have your Mastery, right?"
"Yeah, got it last February." Trill said with a smirk. He then let an out an "OOF" as Amelie grabbed him by both shoulders and yanked him downwards again.
"Teach me everything you know." Amelie demanded, making direct eye contact. Trill sputtered horribly, glancing at Hadrian for help and only receiving unsympathetic laughter.
What an interesting start to their upcoming hectic testing week.