Chapter 14
Chapter 14
Diggory Residence
Hadrian rubbed his eyes tiredly as woke up, trying to stay awake rather than fall back asleep.
He'd spent three days waking up early every morning to go visit Grimmauld Place and help Kreacher sort through the many many objects there that would be a hazard for Hadrian. He'd also instructed Kreacher to expel, contain, or outright kill any magical creature that might bring harm to Hadrian or any occupants he might bring over in future. Kreacher had mumbled and grumbled, but he'd agreed and said Hadrian should stay away for about six days so Kreacher could do that uninterrupted.
"Kigga brings you breakfast." Hadrian smiled, blinking away sleep as he took the tray and set it gently on the desk. "Dissy and Daisy are out of strawberries now, so they be getting some more today."
"Thank you. Tell them they can buy whatever else they think we need while they're out." Hadrian hummed, "Remind them not to worry about the money."
"Yes, Master Hadrian." Kigga nodded firmly, and then he disappeared with a pop.
Hadrian ate his breakfast and looked over his school texts to help himself wake up. Since he'd been given a textbook for Care of Magical Creatures, Hadrian was reading and rereading it until he'd memorized at least half of it. As soon as he did that, Hadrian was hoping he could use his newfound information to move up a Year or two. That was a ways off though.
Once he was finished with breakfast, Hadrian went back to his room to get dressed. Kreacher told him to stay away for six days, of which it was the second day since then. It was good timing, really, because Hadrian had a prior engagement to fulfill.
"Does Master Hadrian be needing anything before he leaves?" Kigga asked, popping in as pulled on his dragon hide boots.
"No, thank you Kigga." Hadrian smiled, "I'll be back for dinner, alright?"
"Yes Master Hadrian." Kigga nodded, his batlike ears flapping as he did so.
"Tell Dissy and Daisy that I loved breakfast, alright?"
"Kigga be doing that!" Kigga confirmed happily, and then disappeared with another pop. Hadrian smiled after him and headed for his Floo, scooping up a handful of green power.
"Diggory Residence, Ottery St. Catchpole!" The fireplace blazed with green flames, and Harry stepped through it into a small entryway. The Floo seemed to be in a corner, because directly to his right was a wall. There was a shoe rack to his left and a front door beyond that also to his left.
He looked around at the smooth white walls and the cheesy welcome mat that said 'Welcome! Please Remove Your Shoes!' and smiled. Cedric's father was probably as Hufflepuff as Cedric was.
"Hadrian!" Cedric appeared with a wide grin, and Hadrian grinned as he was pulled into a tight hug. Hadrian hugged him back, leaning into how Cedric held his waist. He still loved the fact he was an inch or so taller than Cedric, even if Cedric was almost three whole years older.
"Hey, how's life being a seventh year?" Hadrian asked as he pulled back, "Mister completely independent adult?"
"Really good, actually, my Dad recommended me for a job at the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures." Cedric huffed, "I'm going to start right after graduation, just like that. I think he used his position there to squeeze me in, which isn't very fair, but I'm going to prove I deserve to be there."
"Such a Puff." Hadrian teased, "I'm sure you'll do awesome."
"Ah, is this the famous Hadrian I've heard so much about?" A tall man with a pudgy sort of face and beard walked in with a smile, "The won who only technically beat my Cedric."
"You must be Mr. Diggory." Hadrian smiled, holding out a hand, "Hadrian Evans-Black, it's wonderful to meet you."
"Ah, same to you Mr. Black."
"It's Lord Black, actually, but you can call me Hadrian."
"Hadrian then!" The man beamed, "You can call me Amos, of course, since Cedric is so fond of you."
"Dad!" Cedric hissed, flushing a little, which made Amos laugh.
"Alright, but remember you agreed to go out with that nice Hogwarts girl." Amos winked at his son playfully, and Cedric buried his face in his hands.
"Dad it's not like that!" He groaned, "Hadrian is just a friend."
"Don't worry Amos, I have a boyfriend." Hadrian's heart skipped a beat in his chest as he said it, reminded that just five days ago Fred had officially confirmed that for him. "I think he lives nearby, Fred Weasley?"
"Oh! The Weasleys are a good bunch." Amos nodded with a smile, "Well then I'll leave you guys to it." He waved to Hadrian and left the room, which let Cedric drop his hands and take a deep breath.
"Sorry about him." Cedric sighed, his flush fading a bit. "We've been really excited about your visit, so he probably got the wrong idea."
"No worries," Hadrian laughed, "So who's this pretty Hogwarts girl?"
"Ah, it's Cho Chang." Cedric flushed again, pink spreading across his cheekbones attractively. "You danced with her at the Yule Ball."
"Oh, was she the one wearing that really nice silver dress?" Hadrian blinked, "She did make a very annoyed face when I stole you away from her for a dance."
"Yeah, Cho made it clear she's liked me for some time, but I didn't feel the same back then." Cedric admitted, "But we got to know each other over the summer, and she recently brought up her feelings again. I decided I'd give it a shot."
"Well I hope she makes you happy." Hadrian smiled, "She seemed nice."
"Yeah…" Cedric trailed off, and then cleared his throat. "Anyway, care for a tour?"
"I'd love one."
The Diggory Residence wasn't very large, but it was sturdy and practical and welcoming. Much the way Hufflepuffs themselves were, Hadrian realized. It was fitting.
Hadrian enjoyed listening to Cedric talk about his home, and about his family, and how his school year has been. He was a seventh year, so it was understandable that he'd be so stressed and overwhelmed because of his N.E.W.T.s coming up. Apparently he was also frustrated and a bit angry about his Defense teacher, Umbridge, because she wasn't teaching them any real magic. Just theory.
Aside from all that, Hadrian realized he'd missed Cedric. When he was Beauxbaton it'd been taped over by the presence of his other friends, but sitting cross-legged applause style on Cedric's bed reminded him just how much he enjoyed Cedric's company.
"Being Head Boy is more work than I thought it'd be, but it's nice." Cedric was saying with a warm smile, "I think my being chosen had something to do with my participation in the Tournament, but I worked hard for this so I'm really proud. Dad is too."
"That's so great." Hadrian beamed at him, "You've definitely earned it. I still think you should've won the Tournament, but, y'know."
"Sure." Cedric rolled his eyes, "Anyway, yeah, that's me."
"I'm actually a Prefect this year." Hadrian admitted with a grin, "It's been pretty mellow so far, which is good."
"Oh, congrats!" Cedric said, "You've definitely earned it."
"How would you know?" Hadrian raised an eyebrow.
"Wandless wordless magic, endless politeness towards authority, and a rule follower?" Cedric mimicked Hadrian's expression, "No way they'd pass that up." Hadrian laughed.
"I see your point." He conceded. "I'm actually really happy with the way school is going. My classes are really interesting, and I'm making some new friends too."
"Wicked." Cedric grinned, "Your friends treating you well?"
"Yeah, they're awesome." Hadrian nodded, "I do miss you guys back at Hogwarts though, even if I have more friends at Beauxbaton."
"Well we all miss you too." Cedric laughed, "Sometimes we have a study group, me and Malcolm and Heidi, Malfoy and Nott, Granger and sometimes a few Weasleys too. It's nice, and we never would've become friends if you hadn't shown up."
"What can I say, it's a gift." Hadrian teased, and he shifted with a sigh as one of his feet went numb. "It's good you guys are all still friends, but it's a shame you're not at Beauxbaton with me, though."
"Nott mutters about how much he envies the ability to read during meals." Cedric told him with a grin, "Malfoy's always teasing him about it because he can't see the appeal."
"It's not for everyone." Hadrian admitted, remembering how the Gryffindors seemed to thrive as they chatted and called down the table to each other while they ate. "But Beauxbaton cares a whole lot more about etiquette and order than Hogwarts does."
"Ah, yeah, I can see that." Cedric nodded, "Is it a lot different there?"
"Definitely." Hadrian laughed a little, "But I'd say etiquette is the biggest difference. For example, I'm sure you noticed I never introduced myself with my proper title when I was at Hogwarts. Even just now, with Amos."
"Right, so you don't do that at Beauxbaton?"
"No, I always introduce myself with my proper title, and usually we don't even know each other's first names until we're friends."
"Wow." Cedric blinked in surprise, "That's weird. At Hogwarts we use last names, but usually only the Slytherins bother with titles."
"They definitely care more about etiquette, but I think that's because they're from more uptight families." Hadrian hummed thoughtfully, "Ambition is fueled by a drive to reach one's goals, and showing decorum and proper etiquette will definitely get you some places faster."
"That actually makes sense." Cedric nodded, "So, tell me more about Beauxbaton."
Hadrian immersed himself in telling Cedric everything about Beauxbaton, all of it fresh and bright in his memory. He talked about his Professors, and his friends, and his classes, and even the palace itself. Surprisingly, Cedric actually seemed to care. He asked questions and remained attentive the whole time, which made Hadrian even more grateful of his Hufflepuff friend.
By the time he was stepping bad into his Manor and waving goodbye to Cedric, Hadrian was filled with warmth and appreciation and longing. He was glad he'd seen Cedric, and it made him all that much more glad he was seeing Theo soon too.
Before that though, he had a redhead to visit.