Chapter 15
Chapter 15
The Burrow
Hadrian hummed gently as he headed down to his Floo just after lunch, and he touched his pocket to make sure he had his broom still. Luckily he did, and so he grabbed a handful of Floo powder and tossed it into the flames without delay.
"The Burrow, Ottery St. Catchpole!" Hadrian wasn't going to question why the Weasleys called their home The Burrow, but he wondered internally nonetheless.
Stepping out of the Floo he immediately saw Fred and George standing with matching grins. With a smile, Hadrian happily hugged George and then Fred.
"Hiya Hadrian." George ruffled his hair, "It's good we're seeing you in a more positive manner this time 'round, don't you think?"
"Definitely." Hadrian laughed, "Though, your Mum might not forgive me right away. She seemed quite angry."
"She'll live." Fred rolled his eyes. Hadrian looked around the room, and he noticed he was in a kitchen/dining room space. There was an oddly painted table with mismatching chairs sitting around it.
There were two doors leading outside, one to the front yard and one to the back, and the atmosphere felt both light and warm. Hadrian could see Fred and George watching him, so he turned to smile at them.
"Your house is nice." Hadrian said, "I like it."
"Hiya." Ginny appeared from one of the doorways leading into the kitchen, and Hadrian turned to smile at her.
"Hi. Miss Weasley, right?" He tilted his head, and she flushed.
"Yeah, that's me." Ginny nodded, "You can call me Ginny."
"Well met, Ginny." Hadrian grinned, "You can call me Hadrian."
"Well met." She shifted foot to foot, "You're here to see Fred?"
"I'm here to see all of you." Hadrian corrected, "Even Mr. Weasley, the one my age. Ronald."
"Ah, yes, Ickle Ronnikins." George said, grinning brightly, "Y'know, he doesn't seem to hate you as much."
"I'd say that's a good thing, wouldn't you?" Hadrian raised an eyebrow.
"I didn't say he particularly likes you either." George shrugged, "Good luck."
"Oh hello. Well met." Hadrian turned to see who he assumed to be the Weasley Head of House. "You must be Lord Black."
"You must be Lord Weasley." Hadrian nodded, "Well met. Thank you for letting me visit, I really appreciate it."
"Anyone who is a friend to my children is a friend to me." Lord Weasley smiled, and Hadrian could see remnants of Fred in his smile. "Please, call me Arthur."
"Hadrian then." He smiled, and Arthur nodded.
"I'm sorry about my wife, once she's made up her mind about something she usually doesn't let it go." Arthur seemed sincere, which made Hadrian fidget a little.
"Ah, well, it's alright." Hadrian said a little awkwardly, and Fred rolled his eyes.
"Let's play Quidditch!" He announced, making everyone blink at the volume.
"What kind?" Hadrian asked, absent-mindedly touching his pocket where his shrunken broom lay.
"We could do a Beater's game." George suggested, "Freddie and I might beat you this time!"
"We'd still be two on one." Hadrian huffed teasingly.
"I can play!" Ginny exclaimed, "I'll be on Hadrian's team."
"Gin…" Fred frowned, and Hadrian looked at Ginny in surprise.
"You play?"
"Yes." Ginny said immediately.
"No." Her older brothers said at the same time. The three Weasley siblings immediately looked at each other. Confusion on the twins' part, annoyance on Ginny's.
"I've been… sneaking out." Ginny admitted awkwardly, "To practice. Now, let me play!" She set Fred a frosty glare when he opened his mouth. "Don't say it's a date thing because if it was then George would be stuck watching too!"
"I'd love to have you on my team, Ginny." Hadrian said smoothly, and then he raised an eyebrow at the twins. "That is, if you boys don't mind losing to two people younger than you."
"Okay, you're on!" Hadrian laughed brightly as the twins said it at the same time, and Ginny grinned fiercely next to him. Hadrian couldn't tell right away she didn't even need him to beat their asses, and he was right.
Quidditch with the Weasleys was as fun as the last time he'd played. He and Ginny demolished Fred and George, despite the twins' best efforts. Hadrian loved the carefree way Ginny smiled, but he thrived off the absolutely bewildered looks the twins gave her whenever she slammed the bat against a Bludgers with both power and accuracy.
It was satisfying to see how much they underestimated her, and then even more satisfying to watch them get their arse's kicked for it.
"Hey!" Hadrian stopped, looking down at the ground with the others as Ron yelled up at them. "Charlie and Bill are here!"
"Those are your brothers, right?" Hadrian asked Ginny, a little breathless from the exercise.
"Yeah." Ginny confirmed, using her sleeve to wipe perspiration off her brow. "Let's go!"
Hadrian murmured a cleaning spell as he descended, and Ginny blinked in surprise as she found her skin and hair as clean as his now was a moment later. She sent him a grin, and he grinned back. Hadrian met Ron's eyes and smiled, to which Ron looked away without a word or negative expression. Not great, but Hadrian'll take it.
"Hadrian, come meet my brothers." Fred smiled at him as he jogged over, having landed on the opposite side of the field from him with George, and took his hand. "You'll like them more than you like Ron."
"I'll take your word for it." Hadrian laughed, and he let himself be tugged along by his taller boyfriend.
When they reached the house, Mrs. Weasley was embracing and fussing over two men, both stunningly attractive. One of them even had an earring. An earring with a fang hung from it.
"Ah, there you are." Mrs. Weasley turned to smile at her children, but her expression soured as she caught sight of Hadrian with Fred.
"D'you have any new dragons?" Fred asked his brother excitedly.
"What Curses have you broken recently?" George asked the other brother.
"Why don't you come home more often?" Ginny demanded at both of them.
Hadrian watched, smiling softly. He didn't know much about family, but he decided he liked this one. Charlie and Bill, whom Hadrian still did not know which was which, just looked fondly exasperated by their siblings' interrogations.
"How're you doing?" One of them stepped towards Hadrian with a grin, "Charlie Weasley."
"Well met." Hadrian smiled, shaking his calloused hand. "Hadrian Evans-Black."
"We've heard all about you, of course." The other stepped forward, "Bill Weasley, nice to meet you."
"Well met." Hadrian smiled, and then winked. "Especially someone as stunning as you." Bill was clearly the type who couldn't care less about what other people thought as long as he was happy. His hair was in a long swishing ponytail, and his earring was definitely an addition that made his sideways grin even better. He reminded Hadrian of the twins, a bit.
"Oh ho?" Bill grinned as he stepped back. "Fred, you've picked a flirt."
"He knows." Hadrian grinned, "Don't worry, Fred's not so opposed to a bit of friendly competition." A hand snaked around his waist, and Hadrian leaned back into Fred with a smirk.
"Good for you." Bill laughed.
"Bill's a curse breaker for Gringotts." Fred said next, looking down at Hadrian with a grin.
"He took us to Egypt once." Ron perked up from across the room. The twins snickered as though something was funny, but Hadrian just looked at Bill with interest.
"Is it fun?" He leaned forward, "Do you enjoy it?"
"I love my work." Bill answered easily, "Dead hard, but fulfilling anyway."
"That's so cool." Hadrian sighed.
"Charlie works with dragons." George piped up, and Hadrian immediately straightened.
"Dragons?" He couldn't help it, he was really excited. "What's that like? Where do you work? Do you study them?" Hadrian examined Charlie, and he noticed a shiny burn scar on his arm that stood out against his tanned skin that showed just how much time he spent under the sun. Definitely dragon tamer material with muscles like his.
"I work in Romania, and it's as dangerous as it is exhilarating." Charlie answered, and his broad features shifted into the same easy going grin that Bill wore. "I saw you during the Tournament, I was one of the Dragon Keepers there."
"You were!?" Hadrian exclaimed, "Do you work with all kinds of dragons? Do you know everything about them? How do you keep them at sanctuaries? What spells or Potions do you use to transport them? Do they ever get loose?"
"Woah, woah, slow down." Charlie laughed, and Hadrian took a deep breath. "I can't answer your questions if you talk so fast."
"Sorry." Hadrian grinned sheepishly.
"I didn't know you liked dragons." Fred said, clearly surprised.
"Well, I've always wanted to work with Magical Creatures, especially dragons." Hadrian admitted, "But I've been been more genuinely considering it since the Tournament."
"Maybe you could visit the sanctuary in Romania." Charlie suggested, "I could show you around and you can see how you like it."
"You're kidding." Hadrian's eyes widened, "Seriously? I would love that!"
"It shouldn't be too hard, especially if you wait till Summer." Charlie laughed, and Hadrian beamed at him.
Being Hadrian Black, winner of the Triwizard Tournament, wouldn't mean a thing if he became a dragon keeper or something like that. Everything he did there would be of his own skill and merit, and if he got to see it all beforehand it would give him a taste of the real deal! Even if he were Harry Potter he'd have to start from scratch!
"That would be amazing." Hadrian said earnestly, looking at Charlie excitedly. "If it's not too much trouble, I'd really appreciate it. I can definitely wait till Summer; whatever works for you." Hadrian would reschedule literally anything that came up to go to a dragon sanctuary.
"You seem like just the type we like." Charlie grinned, "Send me a letter once you're back at school and we'll talk more."
"Awesome." Hadrian could hardly breathe as Charlie went over to talk to his mother, and Bill went to chat with Ron.
"You look like you might pass out." Fred teased, letting go of Hadrian's waist so he could look at him better. "I think you just made his year, none of us are as interested in dragons as you are."
"Fred, this is such a great opportunity for me." Hadrian said excitedly, "I might actually get to work with dragons. That is insane. Can you believe it?"
"I believe it." Fred laughed, "I think you'd make a great dragon tamer." His smile softened, and Hadrian's breath caught.
"You think so?"
"Yeah." Fred reached forward to tuck a strand of hair behind his ear. "I know so." Hadrian flushed lightly at the honest look on Fred's face as he brushed his knuckles across Hadrian's cheek fondly.
"Thanks." Hadrian breathed, leaning into Fred's fingers slightly.
"Fred!" They both jumped over at George's yell and looked over at him. "Bill and Charlie are at it again." A confused Hadrian was tugged along as Fred following his brother outside with an excited grin.
Hadrian quickly discovered that they were excited because Bill and Charlie were racing old tables above their heads, and Fred and George joined by levitating gnomes and spinning them around to add extra obstacles as the older brothers tried to knock the other's table out of the air.
One of the tables was missing a leg, and Ginny told him that it had been broken when they'd played a similar game the year before. The thought of something as silly as racing and crashing tables together in the air becoming a tradition made him laugh aloud, much to Ginny's amusement. She seemed cool, which made sense since she was a Weasley.
Hadrian hadn't realized how long he'd stayed until Mrs. Weasley was telling people to help set the table for dinner. He was about to ask Fred if he was really allowed to stay when the last Weasley appeared.
"Oh, Weatherby." Hadrian blurted in recognition, and that seemed to make everyone pause.
"What?" Weatherby flushed darkly, and then suddenly the twins and Ron were laughing while Ginny snickered. Charlie looked amused while Bill was just grinning.
"You were on the judge's panel for the Tournament." Hadrian grinned, "I first saw you at the Yule Ball."
"Ah, yes, right." Weatherby composed himself and held out a hand. "Percy Weasley."
"Ohhh, is that your name?" Hadrian tilted his head as he shook Percy's hand. "Well met. I'm Hadrian Evans-Black."
"I can't believe it." They both looked over to see George wheezing and practically on the floor as he laughed, "You actually–" He laughed even harder, and Hadrian paused to think.
"What is he doing?" Percy was watching George laugh with a disdainful expression, and it finally clicked.
"I asked George what your name was!" Hadrian exclaimed, remembering. "He said Mr. Crouch called you Weatherby, and I was so distracted by that that I knew I wasn't going to remember your real name, even back then. I can't believe you remembered that before I did, George!" George couldn't respond beyond laughing harder, much to Hadrian amusement.
"Of course he did." Percy scowled, very much not amused. "It was nice to meet you." He said it curtly, and then walked off towards his father.
"I think I offended him." Hadrian sighed, letting the twins and Ron recover from their laughing fit. "That would make him the third Weasley that dislikes me."
"I know Mum doesn't seem to much like you, but who's the third?" Charlie asked.
"That would be Ronald." Hadrian winced, "I snapped his wand." Charlie frowned, Bill looked confused, and Hadrian sighed. "We had a few bad interactions, and it led up to that one confrontation that I could've handled better."
"Ron drew his wand on him." Fred defended when Charlie looked disapprovingly at Hadrian, "He was the one who instigated. Hadrian asked him to stop, and then said he'd snap Ron's wand if he didn't. Ron just wouldn't listen."
"It's true." Surprisingly, it was Ron who spoke. He seemed reluctant, but also resigned. "I was being an idiot. He paid for my new wand and everything."
"He gave you a hundred Galleons." Fred scowled, and Ginny choked on nothing.
"He what!?" She exclaimed, looking at Hadrian in surprise.
"I broke it." Hadrian said honestly, "It was entirely my fault. I was mad at someone else, and I took it out on Ron because he was standing there. I apologized, of course, but an apology isn't going to buy him a new wand."
Hadrian looked back at Charlie and Bill, who glanced at each other. Hadrian remained blank faced, but he was internally panicking that he'd lose the favor of even more Weasleys just because of his previous clashes with Ron.
"I think I like you." Bill said finally, and Charlie nodded in agreement.
"Wait really?" Hadrian blinked in surprise, which made Charlie laugh.
"You broke his wand, yeah, but since you paid for a new one and acknowledged that it wasn't a smart move, then it's actually pretty hilarious." Charlie grinned at Ron, "How'd he manage to take your wand from you? Did he disarm you?"
"Sort of." Ron mumbled, but he flushed darkly.
"Hadrian smacked his wand out of his hand and snapped it over his knee." George answered when Charlie raised an eyebrow.
"You didn't draw your own wand?" Bill tilted his head.
"Ah, I promised a Professor I wouldn't." Hadrian admitted, "Since I'd already drawn my wand against him earlier in the year. That time he actually deserved it."
"You cursed me." Ron scowled, "Twice."
"One curse, one dark jinx." Hadrian corrected, "Conjunctivitis Curse, Furnunculus Jinx." Bill laughed.
"What'd you do to deserve that?" He asked, and Ron looked away sharply with crossed arms.
"Ron," Charlie prompted, "What did you do?"
"It's fine." Hadrian waved it off, "I'm over it."
"Hold on, did he not apologize?" Fred narrowed his eyes, and Hadrian shrugged.
"It's fine." Hadrian repeated, which made Fred frown.
"What did he do?" Charlie asked, looking between Ron and Hadrian.
"I insulted his Mum." Ron muttered, still not looking at him. "Twice."
"A jinx and a curse for just two insults?" Ginny raised her eyebrows, "About your Mum?"
"My dead, Mum." Hadrian glared at her, and she immediately paled.
"Sorry." She mumbled.
"It's fine." Hadrian sighed, repeating himself again. "That one he deserved though, in my opinion."
Hadrian could see Charlie and Bill looking at Ron with disappointment, which Hadrian would've felt bad about if he regretted casting those spells at all, which he did not. Luckily, they didn't have much time to say anything else because Mrs. Weasley was calling them for dinner.
During dinner Hadrian chatted with mainly the twins, but he was also able to hear a few stories from Bill about his time as a Curse Breaker. On top of that, Charlie promised Hadrian that, if he owled him, they really could schedule a time for Hadrian to visit Romania.
Mr. Weasley was happy to talk to Hadrian, mainly about either Beauxbaton or Muggles, one of which Hadrian had much more to say about than the other.
When Hadrian finally went home, stepping through the Floo into his Manor, Fred went with him.
"I'm glad I got to meet your family." Hadrian grinned up at Fred, "Even if two of them don't like me and a third ignored me."
"Don't take it personally, Percy ignores everyone." Fred rolled his eyes. "Thinks he's better than all of us because he works at the Ministry."
"Ah." Hadrian sighed, "I'm sorry."
"Doesn't matter." Fred shook his head with a grin. "Seems weird to say, but I'm glad you kicked us out of that place we were before. It means we got to see each other."
"I'm glad too." Hadrian laughed, "Though it sucks that your Mum hates me now."
"She'll come around." Fred assured him, "In any case, she already disapproves of my career choices, why should I care if she approves of my boyfriend or not?"
"That shouldn't be sweet, but I think it is." Hadrian smiled up at him, and he went up on his toes to press his forehead against Fred's with a sigh. "I'm really happy I got to spend today with you."
"Me too." Fred agreed, "You'll visit over Easter Holiday as well, right?"
"Of course I will." Hadrian said softly, "I wouldn't miss it."
"I can't wait." Fred smiled at him, and he put a finger under Hadrian's chin to gently lift his face and kiss him. It was a soft kiss, and Hadrian melted into it. Softness was so different than when they were laughing on brooms and smacking Bludgers at each other, and it made Hadrian smile contently when Fred pulled away from him.
"Bye." Hadrian waved as Fred stepped back towards the Floo.
"See you." Fred said, and then he disappeared into the flames. Hadrian sighed as soon as Fred as gone, and he brushed his fingertips across his lips with a smile.
Easter seemed so far away.