Chapter 5
Chapter 5
Hogwarts is never calm for Hadrian
December had come to Hogwarts, and Hadrian was not happy. Not happy at all. He was easily doing Cross-Species Switching Spells in a Slytherin-Gryffindor class with Theo and Malfoy when McGonagall made an announcement.
"The Yule Ball is fast approaching, a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament and an opportunity for us to socialize with our foreign guests." She looked pointedly at Hadrian and he grinned at her. "Now, the ball will be open to fourth years and above, although you may invite a younger student if you wish." Giggling broke out, but McGonagall seemed to ignore it. "Dress robes will be worn, and the ball will start at eight o'clock on Christmas Day, finishing at midnight in the Great Hall."
Hadrian yawned, and decided he didn't want to go at all. Maybe he'd ask Theo to sit in the library with him.
"The Yule Ball is of course a chance for all to, uh, let our hair down." She sounded disapproving and reluctant as she spoke; he doubted she wanted to be admitting it at all. The giggling showed people were in agreement with him. "But that does not mean that we will be relaxing the standards of behavior we expect from Hogwarts students. I will be most seriously displeased if a Gryffindor student embarrasses the school in any way."
"So forget Slytherins, right?" Hadrian murmured. Malfoy choked.
"Mister Black, a word please." She was staring at him and Hadrian nodded curtly, resisting the urge to correct her. He headed for her desk while everyone else left quickly. They were alone.
"Professor?" He prompted, head tiling as she watched him from behind the desk.
"Black, the Champions and their partners-"
"Partners?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Your partners for the Yule Ball, Black. Your dance partners." She said coldly.
"It's mandatory, then, I'm guessing?" He glared at her desk.
"Yes. It is." She said stiffly. "That's what I'm telling you. Traditionally, the Champions and their partners open the ball." Hadrian suddenly felt very gloomy.
"Yes Professor." He said blankly. Hadrian then picked up his books and bag, and stalked out the room firmly.
He sat with Hufflepuff for lunch that day and was complaining loudly to an amused Cedric and his surrounding friends.
"Why do I need to go to the ball anyway? It's a formality at most." Hadrian huffed, taking a bite. "I don't need a partner, what I need is to finish my books."
"Can you not dance then?" Cedric teased.
"I've been in Etiquette classes since I was 11. I'd bet I'm a better dancer than you, Cedric." Hadrian answered automatically.
"I guess you'll just have to go to prove it then." Cedric shrugged with a smile.
"How?" Hadrian demanded, eyes lighting with competition.
"By saving me a dance." The older years around Cedric choked, a few sending him looks that Hadrian ignored.
"Sure. What do I get if I'm better than you?" Hadrian inquired eagerly.
"Bragging rights, what else?" He laughed. Hadrian frowned.
"How about 15 Galleons says I'm a better dancer at the formal waltz." He proposed. Cedric grinned and turned pink.
"This means you'll dance with me?" Cedric sounded eager and Hadrian blinked.
"Of course, I already said I would, didn't I?" He glanced up to see Fleur waiting for him, Beauxbaton students all leaving. "I'll be right there, you don't have to wait for me." He called to her. She nodded.
"Don't forget we have Charms in 30 minutes."
He nodded, turning back to a blushing Cedric. He blinked, and then smirked. "Ahh~ Do you find it attractive when I speak in French, Cedric?" He leaned closer, and Cedric went from pink to red. Hadrian laughed, and stood.
"What did you say?" Cedric asked, getting redder. Hadrian laughed.
"Just that I look forward to seeing you in pretty robes to match your pretty face." He winked, and left.
"That is not what he said." Cedric whined, head dropping onto the table.
"No, it wasn't." Agreed his friend Malcolm Preece, patting his back. "But he did say it in English. So there's that." Cedric was still red.
"Poor Cedric," Heidi cooed. "Too gay to flirt back?"
"Shut up Macavoy, I'm too bisexual." He mumbled. "What did he say then?" He asked Malcolm, who knew French.
"He said, 'Do you find it attractive when I speak in French?' and honestly, you definitely do." Malcolm smirked as Cedric choked. "But hey, you almost asked him to the Yule Ball! Next time just do it for real!" Cedric smiled wobbly.
"Let me remind you two that he thinks it's because of a bet you'll dance with him." Added Heidi. Cedric groaned, and fell onto the table again. They all laughed, unsympathetic.
"Maybe it's not a good idea anyway... I mean... We're both Champions, right?" He bit his lip and nobody seemed to have an answer for him.
"Who could you take instead?" Heidi diverted.
"I thought about asking Chang, the Ravenclaw? But she seems to like me and it really isn't fair if I take her just 'cause I'm too chicken to ask Hadrian." Cedric banged his head on the table again.
"Hey, if all else fails, I'll go with you." Malcolm grinned. Cedric groaned again.
Hadrian sat in the library with a content Nott reading, a book on Merfolk, when two people went bustling by.
"I'm telling you, it was him!" Hadrian glanced up to see a redhead arguing with a bushy haired brunette.
"Not this again." The girl groaned.
"Yes this again!" The redhead squawked. "Now that his son is here, I'm sure it was him!"
"Honestly Ron, Sirius Black couldn't have gotten into the dorms. There was no trace of him beyond two depraved paintings, and even they said it was just a dog." The girl said, exasperated. She was reaching for a book in the plant section that Hadrian couldn't see the title of.
"He tried to kill me 'Mione!" The boy, 'Ron', exclaimed.
"There were scratch marks on your curtains." The girl deadpanned.
"I saw him! He stood over me with a knife!" Theo snickered, eyes on the redhead.
"What's this about Sirius Black?" Hadrian whispered to his friend.
"Your father escaped from Azkaban last year. The Minister went crazy, first ever break from Azkaban." Theo whispered back.
"Okay?" Hadrian frowned. "He was at Hogwarts?"
"Some Gryffindors believed he was in their common room looking for something, complete crap though." Theo shrugged. "He was sighted in some town, near the castle, but they had dementors stationed by the school. He couldn't have passed them."
"Are they mad? Was anyone hurt?" Hadrian exclaimed.
"A few Gryffindors, I think. The dementors were attracted to a Quidditch game and swarmed the pitch, went for as many as they could before they were stopped." Theo shuddered. "It was weird though, because an animal must've gotten past them. A black dog was seen prowling the grounds. It did get into Gryffindor Tower though, the portrait said someone gave it a password but he couldn't see the guy, and a dog got in."
"Did anyone ever consider the dog might be an animagus?" Hadrian suggested, eyebrows raised. "Maybe the dog animagus was just messing with people."
"Nobody suggested that, actually." Theo frowned. "That's highly likely now that you mention it." Hadrian laughed quietly.
"What're you laughing at?" A voice snapped from behind the boys. Hadrian turned to see the redhead glaring.
"Well met. It's rude to interrupt conversations without proper greetings." He said calmly. The boy scoffed.
"As if I'd use that snobby Slytherin language." He sneered. The girl behind him looked pained.
"Well met, Mr Black. I'm so sorry about Ronald." She glared at her friend.
"It's Lord Black actually. Well met, miss witch. You are?" He tilted his head.
"Miss Granger." She nodded to him. He and Theo nodded back. "My friend is Mr Weasley." The boy crossed his arms.
"Well met." Theo whispered.
"Yes yes, so what's so funny? Eavesdropping? Just like a Black, completely mad." Ron glared.
"No actually." Hadrian said coolly. "We were discussing potions. Professor Snape has been watching me closely and we were discussing whether he believes I'm cheating." He lied with a smirk as Theo snickered. The redhead looked disgusted.
"Stupid Black." He spat. "I bet you're a criminal just like your father. Cheating your way into the Tournament and Potions." Theo was immediately glaring.
"Hadrian wasn't even in the country when his name was pulled. He didn't even know there was a Goblet." Theo defended passionately. Hadrian stood slowly.
"Really, Weasley. I wanted to stay back and read my books in peace, but I'm stuck competing in a death game. By all means, take my place." He bowed extravagantly and Theo choked behind him. "I'll see you later, Theo." Nott waved, and Hadrian departed, only for Weasley to follow.
"You can't just walk away from me!" Ron snarled as Hadrian entered the hallway.
"Watch me!" He called, accent lilting. People stared as he moved through the hallways, Weasley stomping behind him.
"You're just a good for nothing cheater who got lucky on a broom!" Ron screamed as bystanders gasped. "I bet your mother is just as terrible as your deadbeat criminal father!" Hadrian whipped around, wand in hand immediately. Ron froze as he found his face a foot away from Hadrian's wand.
"Don't you dare insult my mother." He said dangerously, eyes glowing. "My mother was the most amazing person in the world. Say another word and you'll find yourself on the floor before you can say 'Quidditch'." Hadrian seethed.
"Hadrian." A voice from behind him. Cedric was approaching, and put a gentle hand on Hadrian's shoulder. A few students watching backed up, and several ran off.
"Apologize or you'll regret it." Hadrian hissed in French, shaking Cedric's hand off his shoulder. "Say you're sorry!"
"I'm not sorry! You're wicked just like your parents, just like your mom." Hadrian saw red and flicked his wand.
Conjunctivitis. He ordered nonverbally. The redhead cried out and clutched his eyes, cringing. Furnunculus. He cast, narrowing his eyes. Weasley screamed and fell to his knees. The nearby students gaped.
"What did you cast?" Cedric worried. Granger then hurried up and knelt beside her friend.
"Ron, Ron!" She cried, shaking his shoulders as the boy cried. Weasley removed his hands to reveal his eyes were swollen and red, near fused shut. His face was covered in boils. The Conjunctivitis Curse irritated the eyes, forcing them to swell shut. It's what Krum used to blind his dragon in the First Task. The Furnunculus Jinx was a mildly dark spell, also know as the Pimple Jinx, causing painful boils to sprout up and cover the victim's face. Hadrian felt the boy deserved worse.
Before he could change his mind, Hadrian turned on his heel and stalked away. Cedric rushed after him, calling, but Hadrian headed straight to the courtyard and climbed into a carriage, slamming the door. He ignored the pounding on said door completely, and it dissipated slowly after a few minutes.
Hadrian curled up on his bed, and he cried. He cried for the mother he'd never know, and the father that was lost to him. He choked for Dumbledore who controlled his life and for Snape who suspects. He cried for himself, for an 11 year old Harry Potter who became an adult and chose to hide. Finally cried out, he wiped his tears for Theo who believed in him. He took a deep breath for Cedric, his new friend. He closed his eyes and focused for his friends back at Beauxbaton who were waiting for him to return. He sat up for Fleur, his sister Champion representing their school.
Finally calm, Hadrian sat up and looked down at his hand that still clutched his wand as if his life depended on it. He sighed and tucked it away; he felt no remorse, only exhaustion.
The door banged again, and wiping his now dry eyes, Hadrian answered with a scowl. He blinked, seeing Professor Snape standing before him with a glare of his own in place.
"Follow me, Lord Black." The Professor snapped, and then stalked away. Hadrian moved after him warily. He was led through winding halls down to the dungeons, through the potions lab and into Snape's personal office. Hadrian faintly noted the odd bits and bobbles on the walls, too exhausted to care.
"What is it, Professor?" Hadrian sighed. He was lucky his face never got splotchy when he cried, nobody could ever tell he had been afterwards, but his head did hurt.
"You cursed a student, twice." He said bluntly.
"He insulted my mother, twice." Hadrian snapped with a glare. "And it was one curse. The other was a dark Jinx."
"What did he say." The professor demanded, not even asking. Hadrian clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.
"Said she belonged in Azkaban with my father, and that she was wicked." Hadrian gave Snape his best glare, eyes narrowed. "I do not tolerate insults to her. She was beautiful and amazing, inside and out. She doesn't deserve her memory tarnished by halfwitted Gryffindors who aren't smart enough to block simple curses." Snape eyed him, assessing.
"You miss her." He murmured finally in a soft voice. Hadrian's gaze hardened before going blank.
"Of course I do." He whispered. "She used to sing to me, you know. Such a beautiful voice. My father would hold me and she would sing for us as he laughed quietly." Hadrian had gone back to Gringotts about a month after his first visit, before school started that year when he was 11, as he'd promised.
Evenlyn had been waiting, of course. She'd smiled and told him he was healthy, and they'd talked. It was then he discovered pensives. Evenlyn had shown him a trip she'd taken to Italy with her older sister, and Hadrian had been fascinated. During their discussion, he asked if it was possible for babies to have memories.
They were blurry, but he had them. Buried under years at the Dursley house, repressed by the pain. Hadrian had watched Lily sing for him, and James gift him a tiny broom, Sirius tickling him until he was gasping. James would wipe his face, smiling as baby Harrison giggled and smeared his food around purposefully. Lily would read to him as he babbled and pointed to the pictures. Sirius teaching him to walk and catching him when he fell.
Tears dribbled down his chin without his consent, eyes unfocused and staring past the teacher in front of him. "I wish I'd been old enough to tell her I loved her." He murmured. "I remember them both, even though I was so young." He sort of lied, blinking hard and wiped his eyes.
"Is that so…" Hadrian looked up to see calculating eyes and Hadrian straightened, schooling his expression as best he could, even with still teary eyes.
"What will my punishment be, sir?" Hadrian asked, looking at Snape expectantly. The professor was watching him with thinly veiled surprise and interest.
"There won't be a punishment." Snape cleared his throat. "However, I do have a question for you." Hadrian cocked his head to the side. "Do you remember... a brother? Or another man in your childhood?" He kept his expression neutral at Snape's question.
"Yes sir." He lied. "I don't see why that's any of your business, though." His eyes narrowed as Snape swallowed.
"I'd heard Lily had another child, a younger one. She was my friend, and I need to know." Snape seemed to be either lying or nervous, his fists clenched. Maybe both. Hadrian hid his surprise with suspicion.
"Okay," He said slowly. "Do you promise this stays between us?" Snape looked confused. "Dumbledore." Hadrian clarified warily. "He had several compulsions on me when I was young. It's why I never came to Hogwarts." Snape looked shocked.
"I swear then. He'll never hear of this conversation from me." Snape said firmly.
"She had a second husband, I think. The kid you heard about, his name was Harry. He's been gone for years." Hadrian turned his head to the side. All of it was true, technically.
"Gone?" Snape's voice was strangled.
"I went to Diagon Alley after getting my letter, and he was gone when I got home. Petunia never saw him leave." He refused to look at Snape, even when he heard a sharp inhale.
"You live with Petunia?" The man looked horrified, which probably meant he had the honor of meeting her at least once.
"No." He glared. "I got out of there as quickly as possible. I live in a family home. Don't bother looking, I own over 5 properties." He glared. The professor nodded.
"One final question. Do you believe Harry Potter to be dead?" Snape asked evenly.
"How is that related to my brother?" Hadrian diverted, eyeing the Professor.
"Humor me." Snape glared.
"Yes. I do." Hadrian sighed, staring at a cauldron. "If I'm not being punished, I'll be going now Professor. If I see Weasley again I'll do my best to refrain from drawing my wand." He moved to the door.
"You have History of Magic in 17 minutes. Don't be late." Hadrian slammed the door behind him, eyes watering again. He leaned on it, and then slid down it, head dropping into his hands. He squeezed his eyes shut and willed the tears away.
Hadrian knew better than to think about Harry Potter. It was his own fault people worried about the boy who no longer existed. He made his choice and there was no going back. Why did he care? He wasn't Harry anymore, he wasn't!
"Black?" Hadrian looked up with shiny eyes to see Malfoy watching hesitantly. "Did Snape punish you? Because Weasley was totally out of line-"
"He didn't, Malfoy." Hadrian took a shaking breath, and climbed to standing with his absolutely not shaky and very stable feet.
"Oh." Malfoy looked conflicted. "Good? Why are you upset? Do you need anything?" Hadrian laughed wetly, more tears bubbling up.
"He was just asking about my brother." Hadrian gasped, water dripping off his chin. Malfoy looked even more concerned and opened and closed his mouth several times.
"You've got a brother?" Malfoy asked finally, coming closer.
"I used to." He whispered. Malfoy's eyes widened.
"What happened to him?" Malfoy stepped up fully to take Hadrian's hand lightly.
"He died." Hadrian hiccuped and buried his face in his cousin's shoulder. Warm arms came around him and he shuddered, pushing down heavy sobs. He knew better than to think about Harry Potter, dammit! He was gone anyway, Harry didn't matter. Hadrian was fine, he really was!
"I'm so sorry." Draco whispered in his ears. Hadrian nodded, lifting his head from Draco's shoulder. The Slytherin didn't even seem to mind his shirt was wet in that spot, eyes only shining with concern.
"I have class." Hadrian blurted suddenly. He then stalked off, wiping his eyes furiously and fighting off short breaths.
It was a good lie. Harry Potter was dead. Hadrian Black replaced him. He wasn't James Potter's golden child, he was Sirius Black's intelligent and lost son. The Criminal's child who grew up in a foreign country. He pushed his hair back and headed to a bathroom.
He splashed water on his face and breathed, shutting his eyes. Water collected in his hair and dripped down onto his robes, soaking into his shoulders through the soft blue material. He was fine. Snape didn't care about Harry Potter anyway, he was worried about a celebrity and that was it.
He didn't know why it was hitting him so hard. Actually… he did. He'd never met someone who knew his mother before. Snape had either known her as a friend, or at least heard of her. He had a reason to ask about Harry, beyond the empty titles. If Hadrian had gone to Hogwarts, would Snape have been on his side? Would he have had a chance at being Harry Potter, with at least one person who saw him as his mother's son and not James Potter's Boy-Who-Lived?
Hadrian shook his head furiously. There was no point dwelling on 'what ifs'. He spelled himself dry and exited the bathroom. Shaking himself mentally one last time, he walked to History, already resigned to his inevitable lateness. He had school to do, afterall, breakdown or not.
It seemed by dinner the whole school knew about Weasley, and Hadrian remained seemingly unfazed by their whispering as he sat down next to Theo and started eating.
"Did you really curse him?" Zabini asked excitedly, referring to the 4th year redhead.
"Yes." Hadrian said blankly. He remembered stealing the boy's chair in Transfiguration once and hid a smile. "Weasley deserved it."
"Oh, did he call you a cheater? Baby Beauxbaton?" An upper year sneered.
"He insulted my mother." Hadrian said lowly, raising his deadly eyes to the boy. "Would you like to try your luck with me too?" He whispered. The boy gulped and looked away promptly. Hadrian continued eating.
"So, how were classes?" Theo cut in. Hadrian smirked.
"You will not believe the new Charm we learned today it turned animals inside out-" He beamed and the Slytherins all relaxed, his menacing eyes vanishing and replaced by his easy going French sounding chatter.
The next morning Hadrian had Care of Magical Creatures with Cedric and the Puffs. There wasn't much left to care for, only 9 or so of the creatures left. He was really suspicious of Blast-Ended-Skrewts and he still kept firmly away from them. If Gryffs and Puffs wanted to get all battered and bruised they could go at it, but he wouldn't. From what he heard, the Slytherins stayed far away as well. Smart people.
Cedric kept glancing at him as if he'd explode like the infernal creatures they cared for, and Hadrian had had enough about halfway through the lesson. He pulled the boy away from the group slightly and cast a minor muffle charm. Students eyed them, but the giant teacher wasn't paying attention so they didn't care enough to tattle.
"Okay, out with it." Hadrian ordered, crossing his arms.
"How did you do it?" Cedric burst out, seemingly relieved.
"Do what?" Hadrian rolled his eyes. "You mean throwing a few spells at an idiot Gryffindor? It wasn't hard." Cedric fidgeted.
"I meant how did you do it nonverbally. " He admitted. "It was so surprising, one minute you were just glaring and the next curses were thrown and Weasley was on the ground." He sounded frightened and awed. "I've never seen anything like it, and you used Sonorous and Lumos wandlessly and wordlessly that time playing Quidditch! Didn't you even notice?" Hadrian raised an eyebrow. He had used those hadn't he… Sonorous amplified a person's voice, and he used Lumos to shut people up. Huh, he forgot about that. Was that why people eyed him funny when he did magic…?
"I do it all the time." Hadrian waved his wand and a dozen sticks and rocks littering the area nearby were levitating. Students nearby glanced over but couldn't hear the conversation. Hadrian dropped them, shrugging. "I just reach for my core, and my magic responds."
"How do you access your magic core?" Cedric asked, eyes wide.
"I reach inside myself. At first, I closed my eyes and searched." Hadrian put a hand on his heart and shut his eyes. "My magic is my center. When casting… I can almost pray, part asking and part demanding for it to answer my call. To fuel my spell. I've been practicing finding my core since I was 11. I've been practicing wordless magic since I was 13. I end up doing wandless magic randomly, usually when I don't have a wand on me." Hadrian opened his eyes as he ended his speech.
"Amazing." Cedric whispered. "I mean, everyone already knew 'cause of that Quidditch match, but…" His face was red, awe and admiration written all over it. Hadrian smirked.
"So you find not only my accent but my power attractive as well?" He leaned forward and Cedric stepped back, eyes wide and face reddening.
"Uh," Cedric cleared his throat, "Let- let's get back to class." He then scurried off, face bright red. With a satisfied smile and a laugh Hadrian moved to follow and rejoin the class as well. They were all watching, and he winked. Several turned pink and turned away, while others rolled their eyes. He laughed quietly to himself. Hadrian loved flirting to mess with people.
"I'm just saying think about it, y'know?" Hadrian exclaimed. "Carnivorous plants need meat, yes, but what if they needed blood? Like we needed to soak their soil? Some students would faint, I expect." He explained excitedly, arms moving rapidly as he explained. Theo looked amused.
"But the meat is raw." He pointed out. "Some students would be grossed out by it."
"But raw meat is common in cooking." Hadrian countered. "Blood isn't. Also, if we drop raw meat on the floor it just sticks and we throw it out. Blood on the other hand..."
"What about girls? Blood isn't so foreign to them." Theo countered.
"So you're banking your argument on internal organ cycles?" Hadrian raised an eyebrow. "Still, what good is it if half the class can't handle it? Sounds a little sexist to me." Hadrian teased. "You're also assuming they wouldn't be grossed out just because they deal with it monthly. Lots of people don't mind their own blood. But pouring blood into soil for plants to slurp up and use gallons of it to grow magically?"
Theo sighed and Hadrian smirked triumphantly. "Well, one more thing to research, blood loving plants." Theo admitted. Hadrian laughed at his friend's resigned tone, happy his point got through. He paused, hearing a girl clear her throat, and turned.
"Granger." Theo nodded to the girl who was fidgeting anxiously. Hadrian frowned.
"Hello, Granger." He greeted carefully, eyeing her. She looked a little resigned and a lot cautious.
"Look, I'm really sorry about Ron last week." She shifted foot to foot. "The Yule Ball is in like two weeks and I didn't want to go into it with an enemy. Well, another." She sighed. "You and Nott seem decent. No offense Nott, but Malfoy is a piece of work." She huffed and Theo snickered.
"He is." Hadrian agreed with a smirk as Theo tried to smother full on laughter.
"Anyway, I wanted to say whatever Ron said to provoke you, I don't blame you. He can be an idiot sometimes." She grimaced. Hadrian nodded.
"If you're asking me to forgive your Weasley," Hadrian said slowly. "You'll be disappointed. However, I never held anything against you in the first place. It's easy to accept an apology I don't need, so, consider yourself forgiven." The girl looked confused and then relieved.
"Thank you. Ronald is a dunce, by the way, and he probably won't apologize." She sighed. "Have a good day." She then departed quickly, hair swishing and curls bouncing behind her.
"Well that was unexpected." Theo whistled.
"Also unnecessary." Hadrian added with a shrug. "Let's go, we have Transfiguration." Theo nodded and they continued walking.