Chapter 13
Chapter 13
Grimmauld Place
"Why're you staying behind?" Hadrian asked, tilting his head as he folded another shirt. "You usually go home for the holidays."
"Amelie and I are staying because I want to spend some time studying." Jaecen grinned, "You've been a wicked influence, and this is my seventh year after all. Amelie wanted to help, so, yeah."
"That's awesome." Hadrian smiled, tucking his shrunken broom into its little case. "Are you excited about graduating?"
"Yes and no." Jaecen leaned on Hadrian's bedpost and crossed his arms thoughtfully. "Being away from school will mean being away from a lot of my friends, but I'll still see you in Summers and such, so that's not a huge deal. I'm really ready to not have to worry about being late to class or losing my homework anymore. That'll be fantastic to get away from."
"But?"
"But I have no idea what I want to do for a living." Jaecen sighed heavily, "I'm really nervous that I won't be able to succeed in life. I'm considering just getting a part time job at the Ministry right off the bat and then figuring out what I want while making a bit of money."
"That's smart." Hadrian approved as he tucked his library trunk inside his other trunk, and then latched his large trunk shut. "Either way, I know you'll be okay. You're not an idiot, Jaecen, I bet you'll succeed at whatever goals and decisions you make for yourself."
"You think so?" Jaecen asked as Hadrian tapped his wand to his trunk for a Featherlight Charm.
"Of course I do." Hadrian turned to smile at Jaecen, picking up his luggage easily. "I'll be back after Break, don't miss me too much."
"I always miss you." Jaecen winked, and Hadrian laughed.
"Bye Jaecen."
Hadrian waited in line at the Floo, already having gotten his Floo form approved. When it was his turn, he handed Madam Fitz his form.
Her eyes scanned it, checking for the approval seal from Madam Maxime, and then nodded. Madam Fitz took a handful of green powder and tossed it into the flames.
"Black Manor." Madam Fitz called, "Have a good holiday Lord Black."
"Thank you." Hadrian smiled at her, and stepped through.
He came out smoothly into his entryway, and smiled at the familiar sight of it. "Kigga! Dissy! Daisy!"
"Master Hadrian!" They all popped in, and Hadrian gently held out his arms. He was pleased when they all hesitantly stepped forward and hugged him. Hadrian was glad his elves no longer feared punishment in any way. It had taken years to achieve that kind of trust with his elves.
"Hello, how is the Manor doing?" He smiled.
"Dissy be taking very good care of your gardens Master Hadrian!" Dissy beamed, and her ears flopped as she nodded happily. "Mhm! Dissy be making sure everything is healthy and pretty."
"Thank you, Dissy."
"Daisy be making sure the kitchens and rooms in the Manor are clean!" Daisy piped up, "Everything is as Master Hadrian left it."
"That's great, good job."
"Kigga looked after all of your stuffs so as to make sure nothing is missing." Kigga nodded seriously, "Master Hadrian's stuff is all there!"
"I really appreciate it." Hadrian smiled at all of his elves and straightened. "This year I'll be visiting a ton of new friends, so I'll only really be here in the evenings, aside from tomorrow. Alright? Dissy, I won't have much time for my gardens this time, so please make sure they're well taken care of."
"Dissy be doing that." She confirmed.
"Excellent, I'll be unpacking. Would you please bring me something small to eat? I'll need it in my bedroom."
"Yes, Master Hadrian!" The girls popped away with serious little expressions that made him sigh fondly.
"Welcome home, Master Hadrian." Kigga smiled.
"It's good to be home, Kigga."
——————————
The next day, Hadrian did not expect to be interrupted from his reading during one of his only peaceful afternoons before he started visiting people, and he startled quite badly when Kigga popped into the study without prompting.
"Sirius Black Flooed into the entryway." Kigga said with wide eyes, "He be invisible."
"Invisible?" Hadrian blinked, "Take me to him."
Hadrian gripped Kigga's hand tightly, and held his breath as Kigga twisted and popped to the entryway. Elf travel was awful. Hadrian landed a little wobbly, and he let go of Kigga's hand.
"Go on Kigga, I'd like a moment." Hadrian said, and Kigga popped away immediately. "Alright, come on out Sirius. I know you're there."
"Last time you called me 'Father'." Sirius appeared, taking off an Invisibility Cloak. Hadrian hadn't ever seen a real one before, and blinked at it in surprise. The material was a shining silver color, almost the same as a bright Patronus.
"Last time I was feeling generous." Hadrian quipped, crossing his arms. "What're you doing here?"
"I wanted to see you." Sirius said earnestly, "You said the problem was the possibility of being seen. Well, I have this Invisibility Cloak, so that fixes the problem doesn't it?"
"I–" Hadrian exhaled roughly and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Where did you even get an Invisibility Cloak? They're extremely rare. You didn't steal it did you?"
"Of course not!" Sirius exclaimed, and then looked away and cleared his throat. "... It's James'."
"Oh." Hadrian didn't really know how to respond to that. James Potter was one of his parents, but Hadrian hadn't ever really been able to think of him that way. It wasn't possible without the possibility of someone figuring out who he used to be.
"Anyway, you're not going to kick me out or call the Aurors are you?" Sirius eyed him, but it was more searching than suspicious.
"No, but I might throw you in the dungeon." Hadrian sighed, "I have other plans for Break starting tomorrow, so you can't stay."
"What if we just spent today together?" Sirius pleaded, "I could stay for the night and be gone in the morning."
"Why?" Hadrian asked, "Why do you care so much?" Sirius didn't respond for a moment, and he stared at Hadrian with an expression Hadrian did not understand.
"You're all I have left of them." Sirius said finally, speaking softly. "I was so angry when I went after Pettigrew, I didn't even consider the consequences. I left you all alone when I should've been there to take care of you."
"You don't have to make up for that–"
"Yes I do!" Sirius took a shaky breath, "I have to make it right. I abandoned you, and I'm not going to do it again while I have the choice." Hadrian examined him, and then sighed.
"Fine, but you have to sleep in the dungeon if you want to stay for the night."
"I'll just leave after dinner." Sirius' sheepish grin and slightly unsettled expression made Hadrian snort.
"Okay." Hadrian considered moving to one of his living rooms, but hesitated. "So where are you staying? You look… well."
"Ah, I'm staying at Grimmauld Place." Sirius shuddered, but Hadrian ignored the reaction as he recoiled in shock.
"How the hell did you get there?" Hadrian exclaimed, "I sealed it!"
"Oh, that was you?" Sirius blinked in surprise, "Dumbledore removed the seal. He said my mother probably did it before she died. I grew up there, did you know that?"
"Dumbledore?" Sirius didn't seem to notice Hadrian's strangled tone.
"Oh yeah. He's using it as a sort of base for our organization." Sirius frowned, "I hate it there, and the elf is a menace. Won't listen to a single word I say."
"Well, I'm kicking you out." Hadrian said immediately, "No way in hell I'm letting Dumbledore live there, and any elf of mine deserves to be taken care of by people who don't think he's a menace."
"But you can't kick us out! It's my house too."
"It most certainly is not." Hadrian snapped, "We're going there right now. Move."
"Wait–!"
"Thirteen Grimmauld Place." Hadrian tossed green powder in the Floo, and then stepped through without looking back.
Hadrian stepped out into a dark living room with beaten up couches and dirty objects lying all over the floor. He suddenly understood what Gringotts meant by Unprepared.
"Black elf!" Hadrian called immediately, and with a pop a wrinkled old elf appeared with a surprised expression. "Hello, I'm so sorry for not coming sooner. My name is Hadrian, and I am the current Lord of the House of Black. I'm here to kick everyone out."
"What?" The elf croaked. Hadrian smiled.
"What's your name?"
"Kreacher, Lord Black." The elf bowed a little, and when he looked up he seemed… awed. "You're here to be kicking the Mudblood and Blood Traitors out?"
"I'd prefer if you did not call them that, but yes, I am." The elf immediately nodded, and glared down the hallway.
"Come. Kreacher will show you where they are defiling Mistress Walburga's prized things." Hadrian followed Kreacher down the halls and found himself staring at the family he most definitely did not expect.
"Fred?" Hadrian blinked in stunned surprise as the twins turned around and looked as shocked as he was.
"Hadrian! What're you doing here?" Fred grinned, and he stepped forward to hug Hadrian tightly. "I wasn't expecting to see you! Dumbledore said it would be impossible."
"Yeah well, this is my property." Hadrian sighed as Fred pulled back. "I'm sorry, but I'm kicking everyone out."
"Excuse me?" A redheaded woman put her hands on her hips and glared at him. "This place belongs to Sirius Black, and Dumbledore is in charge."
"I am Lord Black, not my father." Hadrian glared right back at her. "This House is mine, and this elf is under my protection. Sirius is unfit to care for this House because he hates being here. I will not allow anyone to defile any of my properties, especially not without my supervision."
Hadrian looked in surprise when Kreacher threw himself at Hadrian's feet, sobbing and thanking him for something. Hadrian had no idea what it meant, but he gently petted Kreacher's ears.
"Now, I need everyone to leave." Hadrian looked back up, letting his elf cry it out. It was a little odd having an elf clinging to his ankle, but elves usually just needed to express their emotions before being willing to talk again. "Please gather your things, and take the Floo."
"No." The woman, whom Hadrian assumed to be Mrs. Weasley, raised her chin defiantly.
"Mum–"
"Quiet." She sent Fred a frigid glare. "Now, I know you're Hadrian Black. From what Fred told me I thought you seemed like a perfectly nice boy, but it looks like that was an incorrect assumption. You can't just kick us out!"
"Actually I can." Hadrian raised an eyebrow. "See, you don't live here. You have a home somewhere else, I know you do. You're squatting here because Dumbledore said you could. As Lord of this House, I can actually go in front of the Wizengamot and put you on trial for this."
"These Blood Traitors are thieves!" Kreacher sobbed, "They be stealing and destroying Black family heirlooms!"
"Kreacher, I'm not ordering you, but please don't call them that." Hadrian said gently, and then he looked up at Mrs. Weasley with a seething glare. "You've been doing what?"
"We were cleaning!" She shouted, "This house is full of evil objects and curses and creatures! You have no idea!"
"So? It's my responsibility to look after this place, not yours." Hadrian looked at Fred and George, trying to get his expression under control. "Can you two please go get everyone else and tell them to pack their things?"
"Yeah." The twins were subdued as they left, and they winced as they ignored their mother shrieking and screeching at them as they left.
"Now, you." Hadrian pointed a finger at the woman, "Go call Dumbledore and get him to get his ass over here now."
"Fine. He'll set everything straight, just you wait." She stormed off.
After gently extracting Kreacher's grip on his leg, Hadrian followed Mrs. Weasley until he spotted Ginny coming down the stairs with a confused expression and trunk.
"Oh, hi Lord Black." She waved shyly, "What're you doing here? If you're to see Fred, we're actually just leaving."
"I know." Hadrian said simply. "Who else is here?" A Muggle-born, if Kreacher was anything to go by.
"Ah, Hermione's here too." Ginny nodded, "Besides her, just the twins and Ron and me."
"Alright." Hadrian sighed, "Just wait in the living room or something, you'll be taking the Floo."
Ginny nodded, looking back up the stairs as Ron appeared, but Harry continued to the living room where Mrs. Weasley was contacting Dumbledore.
When Hadrian arrived, Mrs. Weasley, Sirius, Dumbledore, and a man Hadrian assumed was Mr. Weasley were all in the living room.
"Hadrian, lovely to–"
"Headmaster, I presume you remember I insist you call me by my proper title?" Hadrian scowled, "Regardless, I'm kicking everyone out."
"My dear Lord Black, this House is where Sirius grew up." Dumbledore smiled pleasantly, "If we could only–"
"Sirius hates it here, he told me so himself." Hadrian snapped, "Even if he did want to live here, it is unprepared for housing. As you can see, I have a lot of work to do to make this a home again."
"We've been doing that for you!" Mrs. Weasley yelled, to which Hadrian glared at her.
"No, you've been tearing up this house without thinking about what you're destroying!" Hadrian was shouting, but he didn't care. "Didn't you notice Kreacher was upset? He's the custodian of this house and if I was the one preparing this house he would've told me what was cursed and what wasn't! He would've warned me about what was dangerous and what was safe, and I could've saved Black heirlooms you've taken! This is illegal, and I'm never going to be okay with this!"
"Lord Black, let me be blunt." Dumbledore said finally, and his face smoothed over with seriousness. "We are using Grimmauld Place as a base for the Order of the Phoenix. We are trying to find a way to fight Voldemort."
"I don't care." Mrs. Weasley gasped, and Sirius paled. Dumbledore just remained calm, and Mr. Weasley put a hand on his wife's shoulder. "I really don't care. You have a school at your disposal, Headmaster. You have a school, and literally anywhere else. But this is my property, and you have trespassed. If you and Mrs. Weasley are still here in ten minutes, I will call the Aurors and use both a Pensive and Veritaserum to prove my claim if I have to. Then you'll all be investigated, and your little organization will be discovered. I take it you're hiding from Cornelius Fudge?"
"Are you threatening me?" Dumbledore's eyes flashed.
"Yes." Hadrian answered without hesitation. "Get out."
"Lord Black–"
"I think he was clear." Hermione said, and the adults plus Hadrian all turned to see a crowd of redheads plus Hermione in the hallway. "We should leave."
"Thank you." Hadrian sighed. He then blinked as Kreacher appeared, and he dumped about half a dozen bags at Hadrian's feet. "What's all this?"
"Filthy disgraced Sirius Black tucked the heirlooms in the attic." Kreacher snapped. "Kreacher be returning the ones Kreacher could find."
"Thank you Kreacher." Hadrian smiled, and he crouched down to Kreacher's level. "If you can find anything else I'd really like to go through it with you."
"You would?" Kreacher's eyes widened.
"Of course!" Hadrian nodded, "Everything in this house matters to me, whether I decide it's dangerous or not. You've lived here by yourself for so long, right? If there's anything you really want to keep you can set it aside and I won't touch it. I promise."
"Thank you." Kreacher whispered with teary eyes, and popped away. Hadrian sighed fondly, and stood.
"Okay, so, you guys were leaving?"
"What was that?" Hermione asked, "He was speaking French."
"House elves mimic the language they're spoken to in." Hadrian shrugged, "As for what we were saying, I told him he could keep anything that really mattered to him. He's been alone so long it's only fair he gets to keep his own belongings."
Hermione was staring at him with newfound respect, but Hadrian didn't care as he turned to Sirius and Dumbledore.
"You have four minutes." He told them seriously.
"Kreacher wants useless things like my mother's socks and my father's trousers." Sirius made a disgusted face.
"If that's all it takes to keep him happy then why shouldn't I let him have them?" Hadrian asked rhetorically. "Three minutes."
Hadrian watched Mr. Weasley call for "The Burrow" and gently herd his wife and children through the Floo. Fred gave Hadrian a backwards look, and Hadrian gave him an apologetic smile. Fred returned it.
Hermione also went to The Burrow, which Hadrian assumed was where she'd ask for transportation back to her Muggle home.
"Where do you expect me to go?" Sirius asked quietly once, "This is where I've been since I left Hogwarts nearly two years ago."
"I'm sure Dumbledore will find somewhere for you." Hadrian said firmly, fixing Dumbledore with a glare. "For now, it's not really my problem."
"You're actively helping Voldemort by hindering us." Dumbledore said solemnly.
"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named hasn't been seen or heard from in 14 years." Hadrian said coolly, "And I've seen your interviews. I'll have you know absolutely nothing happened during my supposed disappearance. Insinuating otherwise could be considered defamation of character."
"It seems like you're looking for any reason to report us." Dumbledore gave him a strained smile, "It feels a little targeted."
"Apologies if you've never been called out for the things you've done." Hadrian raised an eyebrow, "But there's a line, Headmaster. You're on strike three, and another toe out of line means I won't hesitate to go to the British Ministry. Word on the street says you've been demoted and are no longer Chief-Warlock of the Wizengamot. I'd think you'd know better than to try and go against a Lord with the public against you."
"We'll be seeing each other again." Dumbledore said firmly.
"I think you'll find it's better if we don't." Hadrian replied. Dumbledore gave him one more disappointed and angry look before disappearing into the Floo after declaring he wanted Hogwarts, and Sirius followed him without a word.
As soon as the Floo was out and the people were gone, Hadrian sank into a couch and buried his face in his hands. He hadn't expected the Weasleys to be on Dumbledore's side. If they believed Voldemort was back, that meant they would be willing to fight. That wasn't what Hadrian wanted, especially not for Fred.
And Fred was an entirely different matter! He'd written to Hadrian during school about how the Umbridge woman was being unbearable about her 'High Inquisitor' status, but right before Break he'd said he and his family were going somewhere special and he was sad he couldn't visit. Hadrian had understood, and now even more so. Dumbledore had forbidden it.
Hadrian looked up sharply as the Floo flared, and, to his surprise, Fred stepped through it with an anxiously determined expression. He spotted Hadrian immediately.
"Hadrian." Fred knelt down in front of where Hadrian sat on the couch and took one of his hands. "I'm so sorry."
"For what?" Hadrian frowned.
"For being here, for contributing."
"You didn't know." Hadrian smiled, squeezing Fred's hand. "Honestly, Dumbledore knew. Your mother probably knew, and Sirius must've guessed. They just didn't think I'd care. You and your siblings legitimately didn't know. It's not your fault."
"But we didn't say what we were doing was wrong, we didn't even notice either." Fred protested, "I saw how angry Sirius was with Kreacher and I didn't do anything about it. George and I also took doxy venom to use in our Skiving Snackboxes."
"What're those?" Hadrian tilted his head.
"They're a range of sweets that make you ill." Fred said, brightening. "Not seriously ill, mind, but just ill enough to get you out of class when you feel like it. George and I've been working on it since summertime."
"I doubt the doxies will miss their venom any." Hadrian laughed, "Are the Snackboxes working out?"
"Really well." Fred grinned, "They're double edged color codes chews. George and I were testing them all Summer, but a few of our fellow Gryffindors volunteered once we said we'd pay them. The Nosebleed Nougats still need some work, but the Puking-Pastilles are almost perfect."
"That's so cool." Hadrian said, and Fred beamed at him. He then seemed to remember why he was there in the first place and shook his head.
"Seriously though–"
"It's fine." Hadrian assured him, "Really. Kreacher and I will figure everything out and I'll try to fix whatever Sirius did with the heirlooms."
"How did we even get in here if it belongs to you?" Fred frowned.
"Dumbledore." Hadrian sighed, "I had this place magically sealed when I was thirteen. The plan was for me to clean it all up and put it in stasis until I was seventeen and could use my magic legally for it. I didn't know Kreacher was here, but I assume he didn't help you guys out?"
"No. That would've gone much better." Fred grimaced, "Either way, we all heard you shouting at Mum and Dumbledore and feel really bad. Hermione's been crying because she thinks it's her fault for letting Sirius treat Kreacher so badly when he's not even Sirius' elf."
"It wasn't any of your guys' faults. Make sure they know that." Hadrian leaned forward to press his forehead against Fred's and sighed. "I'd say I'm sorry for yelling at your Mom, but that would be a lie." Fred snorted, and grinned.
"It sucks she was yelling at you, but seeing her yell at someone else for a change was nice."
"Glad to be of service." Hadrian laughed, and then he sighed again. "D'you think you're Mom will forgive me eventually?"
"Probably, but she worships Dumbledore a little so she might not." Fred shrugged, "I don't particularly care, she already disapproves of my career path. Why not my boyfriend too?"
"Oh! I wanted to ask you about that, actually." Hadrian remembered, "Um, we sort of didn't really make anything official, but I was wondering if we're…?"
"True, we didn't exactly state our intentions." Fred grinned, and then he stood. Fred bowed extravagantly, much like he had when introducing himself, and winked. "My esteemed Lord Black, would you do me the honor of being my boyfriend?"
"How could I resist such a charming request?" Hadrian laughed, and he stood up to take Fred's hand happily. "Thanks, I was a little worried about it actually."
"What, you thought I'd reject you?" Fred teased, "Nah, you're irresistible."
"If you say so." Hadrian rolled his eyes.
"I bet you have tons of French boys swooning over you." Fred said dramatically, "The irresistibility is endless!"
"They do not swoon." Hadrian scoffed, "They do, however, flirt."
"Ah yes, trying to win your heart." Fred grinned, "Anyone succeeding yet?"
"Um, you." Hadrian raised an eyebrow. "I thought that was pretty obvious." Fred blushed, but he still grinned.
"Nice to hear, date mine, but I meant anyone else."
"Why would there be anyone else?" Hadrian asked, confused.
"Eh, you seem the type to like multiple people, and I don't have a problem with that." Fred shrugged, "Sorry if that was wrong."
"No, I've just never thought about that before." Hadrian blinked. "But still no, not a single French boy has caught my eye."
"Good to know." Fred laughed. He then sighed, pressing a kiss to the top of Hadrian's head. "I'd better go, George is stalling Mum until I get back."
"Yeesh, yeah, better go make sure he didn't burn the house down." Hadrian grinned
"I'll write to you." Fred promised, and then he disappeared back through the Floo. Hadrian, once again left alone in the living room, sank into the same couch as before.
Except this time, he smiled.